John Lennon's cousin, Stanley Parkes, has spoken out against Channel 4's decision to air that Mark Chapman documentary that goes out tonight, saying that he and his family are upset by what they consider to be the ill-timed glorification of a murderer. The key issue is the broadcast of tapes recorded by Chapman's biographer Jack Jones in the early nineties in which Chapman explains how he shot and killed the former Beatle.
Parkes, who is based in Scotland, said: "I think the decision is absolutely abhorrent. It's totally out of order to give the man airtime to explain how and why he shot John. It's just glorifying a killer. Our family are devastated by that. It should never have been allowed to happen, especially on the anniversary. I don't know how they [Channel 4] get away with it. To everyone else John is a public figure, but to us, he's just our John. It's very sad for the family when it's all brought up again. The anniversary of his death is upsetting enough without this as well."
Channel 4 have defended the programme, claiming that neither Chapman or his family have profited financially, and saying that it's a serious documentary. A spokeswoman said: "I Killed John Lennon is very much a serious documentary and has been handled accordingly. The programme looks into Chapman's psychology. It is about the mind of a murderer rather than about John Lennon. Neither Mark Chapman nor his family have received payment."
On the tapes, Chapman, refused parole for the third time last year, is heard to explain his reasons for murdering Lennon, saying that he hoped his "identity would be found" via the killing. Chapman says: "There was a successful man who kind of had the world on a chain, so to speak, and there I was, not even a link of that chain, just a person who had no personality. And something in me just broke."