"Gee I’m sorry I ruined your night": John Lennon's killer issued a weird apology straight after shooting him, witness recalls in new true crime documentary

John Lennon docuseries — (Image credit: Apple TV+)

A new docu-series titled John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial is set to arrive on Apple TV+ on December 6.

The three-part show will provide the "most thoroughly researched examination" of the murder of Beatles legend John Lennon, who was fatally shot outside of his New York apartment on December 8, 1980 by a deranged fan.

The crime never went to trial due to killer Mark David Chapman infamously pleading guilty to police at the scene of the crime. He was sentenced to twenty years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

With narration by Kiefer Sutherland, Murder Without Trial will revisit the killing via previously unseen photos and accounts "told for the first time by those who were there", such as witness/taxi driver Richard Peterson, and Jay Hastings, a doorman at Lennon’s apartment building who heard his final words.

In order to secure the interviews, the creators behind the series were apparently “granted extensive Freedom of Information Act requests from the New York City Police Department, the Board of Parole and the District Attorney’s office”.

Other interviews will feature testimony from psychiatrists, detectives and prosecutors, as well as Lennon’s friends and Chapman’s defence lawyers.

In the trailer for the series, it's revealed that Chapman offered a bizarre apology to onlookers nearby.

One witness recalls: “‘He actually apologised to us. He said: 'Gee I’m sorry I ruined your night.' And I said, You gotta be kidding me, you just ruined your whole life.”

In 2022, Chapman was denied parole for the 12th time. He is next due to appear before the parole board in February 2024.

Watch the trailer below:

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Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.