I thought by killing John Lennon I would become somebody, says Mark David Chapman

Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's killer, confessed to the parole board in New York that he thought by killing The Beatles singer he would become somebody.

Chapman, 55, killed Lennon outside his New York apartment in December 1980.

The former security guard, who experienced bouts of depression, told the parole board he had a list of people he wanted to kill, including the talk show host Johnny Carson and the actress Elizabeth Taylor. Lennon was at the top of the list.

"I wasn't thinking clearly. I made a horrible decision to end another human being's life, for reasons of selfishness," the BBC quoted him as saying.

"I felt that by killing John Lennon I would become somebody and instead of that I became a murderer and murderers are not somebodies," according to the published transcript of the interview.

After the interview, Chapman was denied parole yet again. The board said it remained concerned about the disregard he showed for the norms of society and the sanctity of human life.