A group of four letters written by John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman to the officer of the New York City Police Department who arrested him are to be sold, CNN reported Monday.
The letters, sent to Stephen Spiro, reveal a contradictory personality. While complimenting the officer in one letter and calling him “probably still the 'best damn cop in New York City',” the letters also have a darker side. They include repeated suggestions by Chapman that Spiro read J.D. Salinger's novel “The Catcher in the Rye” because it was his "statement" on why he murdered Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980.
But he also references his hostility to John Lennon, calling him a “phony” and saying, “His words shoot his life-purpose full of holes. If you dig deep -- and not idolize -- it is all there.” He also says that others “could -- and would -- have served the same purpose.”
CNN says the group of letters will be sold starting Monday by Moments in Time, which is also selling the “Double Fantasy” album that John Lennon signed just before his death for Chapman and a 1962 promotional card signed by all four Beatles.
Mark Chapman shot and killed Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980. He was given a sentence of 20 years to life in 1981 for second-degree murder. He was denied parole for the seventh time last year.
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