(1) Entrance to the Dakota from West 72nd St., Manhattan. (Photo taken around May 2003.)

(2) Doorman guards Dakota entrance. This is mostly where the shots were fired. The shooter was likely doorman Jose Perdomo, not Chapman. (Photo taken around May 2003.)

(3) John and Yoko walk out the Dakota entrance in 1980. (Little has changed in 23 years.)

(4) Rear view of John and Yoko walking out the Dakota entrance to West 72nd St. In the photo, John is approximately at the same place Chapman reportedly stood when the shots were fired on Dec. 8, 1980.

(5) John signs autograph for Chapman on Dec. 8, 1980 as he and Yoko leave the Dakota, several hours before the shooting. This photograph was taken at the entrance of the Dakota. Notice Chapman is standing to the right, Lennon to the left. Virtually all accounts indicate that Chapman was at the same location when Lennon returned later.

(7) At first I had suspected that a second shooter may have fired from the doorway across from the lobby, which leads to a service elevator. Firing from this location would easily create entry wounds to the left side of Lennon's body. In the photo below, the doorway to the service elevator is to the left of the lady walking the dog. (See attachment for a description of wounds per death certificate and autopsy report.) I have since concluded, however, that doorman Jose Perdomo was likely the actual killer. (See article.) Nevertheless, it is possible that support people may have exited the crime scene by way of the doorway below. The stated doorway also leads to a side exit. Across the alley from the side exist is a parking garage. (See photos of Dakota's side exit in an alley directly across from a parking garage.)

(8) Mark David Chapman confessed to murdering Lennon, although mounting crime scene evidence indicates he gave a false confession.

(6) A diagram published in the New York Times on Dec. 10, 1980 shows Chapman standing behind Lennon, to his right. The accompanying caption reads as follows:

Additional information.

At the time of the shooting, it was widely reported that Chapman called to Lennon, to which Lennon responded by turning towards Chapman. At that point Chapman reportedly began shooting. Chapman, however, denies calling to Lennon, but he admits shooting him. If Lennon did not turn, this increases the likelihood that someone else shot him from the doorway leading to the service elevator. Crime scene witness accounts vary on the issue of whether Chapman called to Lennon or not, but compelling evidence has never been brought forth to indicate that Chapman called to Lennon causing him to turn. (See attachment for additional information about crime scene witnesses and other crime scene evidence.)

False confessions are a common phenomenon which occur for a variety of reasons. Consequently, Mark David Chapman's confession must be viewed within that context since forensic evidence indicates he is innocent. Because Chapman confessed, he was not given a trial. Instead he was given a sentencing hearing where the judge gave him twenty years to life at Attica State Prison in New York. In 1966 the United States Supreme Court determined, in Miranda vs. Arizona, that police officers must recite Constitutional rights to anyone arrested for a criminal offense. This was done because the high court feared police coercion of suspects. The most notorious case of false confessions in modern times is the Central Park Jogger. In 1989 a woman was raped and severely beaten while jogging in Central Park. Five teenage boys, ranging from 14 to 16 years old, confessed to the crime and were subsequently imprisoned. In 2002 it was discovered that the true rapist was an older man, Matias Reyes, whose DNA matched that which was taken from the crime scene. It appears that Chapman is being treated in a similar manner as the convicted teenagers in the Central Park Jogger case.

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