Talk:Mark David Chapman

Article name
Isn't he more known as just Mark Chapman rather than his full name Mark David Chapman? DrKilleMoff (talk) 01:12, 6 May 2017 (UTC)
 * No. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.111.47.191 (talk) 05:25, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

Poorly-written "motive"
How is idolization of a fictional character a motive for murder? Holden Caulfield doesn't kill anyone and describes himself as a pacifist and a coward throughout the novel. This is ridiculous, like the old idea that women would get corrupted by reading Gothic novels in their closets -- idolization of Holden is more of a idiosyncrasy of MDC's, not a motive for murder that has encyclopedic tone. I'll fix this myself if no one has any objections. --Robert Burns 2602:A2:68DD:BA00:9934:2851:48D0:F2C (talk) 21:49, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Wiki is based on Reliable Sources, not your opinion, which is neither desired nor should have been posted - see WP:SOAPBOX. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.111.47.191 (talk) 05:23, 9 December 2019 (UTC)
 * I don't really care about this article. I'm just writing to say that your response could have been less hostile. 96.32.155.15 (talk) 02:57, 20 April 2020 (UTC)

media appearances. minor correction suggestion.
Jones asked Chapman to tell his story for Mugshots, a CourtTV program in 2000, with his first parole hearing approaching. Chapman refused to go on camera but consented to tell his story in a series of audiotapes.

since Jack Jones is mentioned in the previous paragraph, when his name comes up again in the article, just using his last name, makes that section extremely unclear. this is because other individuals are mentioned in the article between the first mention and the second. It would be much clearer and easier to read to you edit it to use the first and last name "jack jones". I would do it myself but I don't have a wikipedia account and I don't want to cause any trouble. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.189.54.6 (talk) 11:51, 23 September 2020 (UTC)
 * While I get the aim for linearity date wise with the original edit, I happen to agree with the above thought as I had the same reaction (Who is Jones?). If linearity in the chronological sense is truly necessary, the last two paragrphs could br rewritten, but I think the swap works just as well.THX1136 (talk) 23:55, 27 May 2022 (UTC)

Unwitting friend in Atlanta
It seems unnecessary to name this person per WP:BLPNAMES, WP:UNDUE and also WP:NOTEVERYTHING. They are only mentioned by name once in the article and knowing how they are doesn't really seem to improving the reader's understanding of the article. The name mention also appears to becausing them some undue stress per WP:THQ. If at some point more reliably sourced content about this person's relationship to Chapman is added to the article that does improve the reader's understanding of Chapman, then perhaps the name could be re-added. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:01, 19 May 2021 (UTC)

Mark David Chapman's REAL motive
So while he has given out conflicting motives, Chapman has recently stated he only wanted self-glory and fame. Indeed, I can't find any reference to a desire to kill a 'phony' in his 2020 parole transcript for instance, or any other transcripts. - Anonymous Wikipedian — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.93.4.72 (talk • contribs) 16:12, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


 * Mark David Chapman is not a reliable source, and he only becomes less reliable as time passes. James R. Gaines spent dozens of hours in conversation with Chapman, and thus, should have been able to ascertain fact from fiction, or "likely" from "unlikely". Gaines does not believe that acquiring fame and notoriety was a motive. Chapman's actions and behavior following the murder do not suggest that he sought attention. It speaks volumes that he refused to speak to the media for several years. Virtually everyone can agree that Chapman's motive was related to his obsession with Catcher in the Rye and so that's all that Wikipedia states. ili (talk) 08:14, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


 * * But doesn't his refusal to grant interviews later on simply prove he regrets the crime and that he doesn't want fame and self-glory anymore due to his realizing how horrible his crime was? People can change and might even regret their crime(s), and so Chapman doesn't want notoriety anymore. Also, Gaines merely interviewed Chapman and doesn't actually know what was going on in Chapman's mind on December 8, 1980. The person that knows that that Mark Chapman himself, and so if he repeatedly disavows his whole 'Catcher In The Rye' obsession and claims that the motive was only fame and self-glory, his claim about himself holds more weight. While 40 years later one might forget the odd detail about a particular event, it's implausible that Chapman 'forgot' his 'real' motive. In addition, claiming it was about fame and glory instead of mental illness makes him look worse, and so he'd have no reason to lie or claim that unless it were true. Anonymous Wikipedian, July 6, 6:57 PM UTC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.93.4.251 (talk • contribs) 18:57, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


 * "refusal to grant interviews later on" - See, you're confused... He refused to grant interviews from the moment that he was caught. One might argue that he might believe that killing for "fame and glory" is easier for him to accept than that he was under a God delusion. In other words, he might find his true motive to be "blasphemous", and so that's one reason why he would go with the "self-glory" narrative. ili (talk) 16:00, 11 July 2021 (UTC)

Other supposed targets
I've just removed Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Ronald Reagan, George C. Scott, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, and  George Ariyoshi as other potential targets Chapman supposedly considered. Where are these coming from? The only other targets I see with sources are Elizabeth Taylor and Johnny Carson. Meters (talk) 23:51, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

Mark David Chapman --> American performer of Christian music?
I found that Mark David Chapman was added to the category. Is this anywhere near true? Race To Oblivion (ネザーへのハイウェイ) (talk) 16:52, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

Parole update
Has anyone received information about whether Mark Chapman's parole hearing this year was accepted or rejected? The article says that his hearing is scheduled for the next few days after the 30th August of this year. But it should have ended by now. I presume it was rejected as usual. I don't know why he's still bothering to apply for parole. Since he's definitely safer in prison. ― C.Syde  ( talk  |  contribs ) 22:53, 7 September 2022 (UTC)

Parole 2024
If his parole hearing was scheduled for Feb 2024, why isn’t there anything about it on the news? 146.90.135.179 (talk) 07:46, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

Denied
He’s been denied parole according to the N.Y. government parole calendar 146.90.135.179 (talk) 18:25, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

His next parole hearing
If you open the link I added on the page, search his first middle and surname and it brings up a load of people with the same name, and if you look at his (81A3860), his earliest release date says 8/2025 Movies09 (talk) 10:48, 24 March 2024 (UTC)