A new three-part docuseries about John Lennon’s 1980 murder will premiere on Apple TV+.
The series, titled John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, will be narrated by Emmy-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland and, according to a press statement, will offer “the most comprehensive look into the truth of the tragic murder of … Lennon, and the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman.”
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The presentation will include exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses, as well as previously unseen photos of the crime scene.
Among the people interviewed for the series were close friends of the late Beatles legend who revealed shocking details of Lennon’s killing, as well as detectives and prosecutors who worked on the case, and Chapman’s lawyers and psychiatrists.
In the course of researching the crime for the series, producers were granted access through the Freedom of Information Act to various documents from the New York City Police Department, the District Attorney’s office, and the Board of Parole.
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial was directed by documentary filmmakers Nick Holt and Rob Coldstream, and was produced by the Emmy and BAFTA-winning production company, 72 Films. No word yet on when the series will premiere.
Lennon was shot to death by Chapman on December 8, 1980, outside of his home at the Dakota Building in New York City when he and his wife Yoko Ono were returning from a recording session. He was 40 years old.
Chapman admitted to the killing and received a 20-year-to-life sentence; the now-68-year-old convict has been in prison for more than 40 years. In November of 2022, he was turned down for parole for the 12th time. Chapman currently is serving his sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, Lennon’s voice will be on an unheard Beatles song called “Now and Then” which will be released on November 2. The track was built around a demo Lennon recorded at the Dakota Building in the late 1970s, to which Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the late George Harrison added their own parts.
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