The Murder
On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot near his residence in New York City by Mark David Chapman, who had allegedly been planning the murder for months because he claimed that he disliked Lennon’s lifestyle, lyrics to some of his songs, and public statements. Lennon was a member of the famous English rock band the Beatles in the 60s and then became a solo artist when the band disbanded in 1970. He was an outspoken peace activist and incorporated anti-war messages into his later songs. Lennon was controversial in his viewpoints, such as criticizing the Vietnam War, claiming that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”, and rejecting the existence of God. Chapman cited Lennon’s “blasphemous” public statements as to his motive for the murder [1].
CIA Involvement
The true intentions of Chapman may be more nefarious. Many theorists claim that Lennon was killed by the CIA because of his radical leftist views and outspoken nature about them [2]. People attest that the CIA tracked many famous pop stars before their deaths, among them Tupac Shakur and Kurt Cobain, for similar reasons. Documents released by the CIA reveal that the FBI director stated that investigation of Lennon's anti-war activities “must be handled on an expedite basis and by mature, experienced agents.” [3] Many of the documents were withheld, which only created more suspicion. The Nixon administration tried repeatedly to deport Lennon when they heard that he was planning on participating in a demonstration at the GOP convention [4]. Lenon eventually gained citizenship in 1976 and was then shot in 1980. Theorists claim that Chapman was “programmed” to kill Lennon by the CIA because of the military stance he took when he shot, his calm demeanor, and his lack of escape attempt.