John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, a new three-part docuseries focusing on the event’s surrounding the December 1980 shooting death of Beatles legend John Lennon is scheduled to get its global premiere on Wednesday, December 6. Here’s how you can watch the program and some details about the show.
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How to Watch
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial will stream on Apple TV+. The streaming service is available on the Apple TV app, which can be various devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and other smart TV brands, Roku and Amazon Fire devices, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and more. The service costs $9.99 a month, and can be purchased at tv.apple.com; seven-day free trial also is being offered. Customers who purchase new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod Touch devices have the opportunity to access a free three-month Apple TV+ trial.
[RELATED: John Lennon’s Tragic Last Words Revealed in New Docuseries]
About the Series
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial is narrated by Emmy-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland, and according to a press statement, offers “the most comprehensive look into the truth of the tragic murder of … Lennon, and the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman.” The docuseries includes exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses, close friends of Lennon, detectives and prosecutors who worked on the case, and Chapman’s lawyers and psychiatrists. The presentation also features previously unseen photos of the crime scene.
In addition, the program examines some of the conspiracy theories that have sprung up in the wake of Lennon’s murder, including questions about whether his killing may have been tied to the U.S. government’s conflict with the outspoken rock icon and the efforts to deport him.
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.
Who Appears in the Series
The docuseries includes interviews with includes exclusive interviews with Richard Peterson, a taxi driver who claims to have witnessed Chapman shoot Lennon; Jay Hastings, a concierge at the Dakota building who heard Lennon utter his last words; and David Suggs, Chapman’s defense lawyer. Other noteworthy people interviewed in the series are Elliot Mintz, a close friend and confidant of Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono; Dr. Naomi Goldstein, a psychiatrist who evaluated Chapman; and Peter Cullen, a retired New York City policeman who was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene of the shooting.
Previews
You can check out a trailer for John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial at the Apple TV+ YouTube channel. In addition, an exclusive clip from the docuseries featuring Peterson sharing a chilling story about giving Chapman a cab ride prior to Lennon’s murder has been posted at Billboard.com.
Back Story
Lennon was fatally shot by Chapman, an obsessive Beatles fan, on December 8, 1980, outside of his home at the Dakota building in New York City when he and Ono were returning from a recording session. He was 40 years old.
Chapman admitted to the killing and received a 20-years-to-life sentence. Now 68, the convict has been in prison for more than 40 years, and currently is serving his sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York. In November 2022, he was turned down for parole for the 12th time.
