why was john lennon shot

John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980, outside Lennon's residence, the Dakota, in New York City. Chapman was a disturbed former Beatles fan who was envious and angry at Lennon’s lifestyle and especially angered by Lennon’s 1966 comment that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." Chapman identified with the fictional character Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, seeing Lennon as a "phony" symbolizing hypocrisy. Chapman planned the killing over several months. On the evening of the murder, he approached Lennon under the pretense of asking for an autograph and later shot Lennon five times with a .38 caliber revolver, four bullets striking Lennon in the back. Chapman did not resist arrest and remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye until police arrived. He later said he believed it was "God's will" that Lennon die and expressed anger over Lennon's perceived hedonistic lifestyle. Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life imprisonment and has been denied parole multiple times.