Stephen King killed John Lennon, claims man at city commission meeting

Steven Lightfoot, the man who claims that Stephen King killed John Lennon, attempted to, er, expose the truth at a Sarasota City Commission meeting yesterday. The mayor told Lightfoot that Casey Key, where King lives, is not under the jurisdiction of Sarasota County. The whole thing was captured on video.
"Man escorted from commission meeting Tuesday"

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Anonymous

I wonder if he’s being paid by Stephen to do this. Free publicity of a slightly spooky variety- perfect for a horror writer.

It’s even more effective than the chickens.
cmuwriter

I’ve never been to a public meeting where they limited public comment to items pertaining to the city. There has usually been a public comment session for items on the agenda and an open comment section. People would comment on things of all topics. I think the guy is pretty fucking crazy, but they seemed to want to stifle his comment even before he said what he wanted to say.
HurfDurf

#54, I just looked at that link you provided, and funnier than Steven is this, the 2nd speaker:
“Ken Hart, Star Man, spoke of outer space and his destiny. ”

Where are you now Spaceman?
Micah

Slightly off-topic, but I just want to point out that Sarasota City and County do a really superb job of making meetings open and accessible using webcasts and public postings of meeting transcripts.

Many localities would do well to emulate their example.
Anonymous

I met this guy many times in Monterey years ago. My friend started to do a documentary about him until he randomly disapeared.

He was always passing out these things. He really believes it. Another one of my friends got in a fight with him and arrested for tearing up his signs; my friend said it was worth it.
jetfx

It wasn’t “The Catcher in the Rye” that the assassin was reading before he pulled the trigger. That was planted by the Illuminati to disguise the identity of the killer.
narrator

I used to listen to talk radio a bit in San Francisco and some SK killed John Lennon guy would call up all the time. He would start out making sense and then go into the SK killed john Lennon accusation at which point the host would hit the tape delay button and hang up.

It happened so frequently that it became a kind of running joke on some of the program. It practically was a sport to see how quickly they could recognize that the guy was on the phone.
august

I used to bartend on Union Street in San Francisco in 89-91. One Sunday (strange folks always came in on Sundays … left over drunks, angry loners, etc …) this guy came in. He wanted to play guitar and I let him audition. It wasn’t anything that was going to generate a following, so I passed. He then hung around and started to befriend this young girl in college who was sitting at the bar. She was alone and naive and started to really believe his stuff … and his stuff kept getting stranger. It climaxed in Stephan King killing Lennon. It just so happens that I know everything about that murder and was able to engage him for a while just for entertainment sake. He got a little hot under the collar and tried to grab “his girl” and leave. I got her away from him (not a big incident … I told him she was my sister) and he stormed out. For the next few days he hung out front of the bar playing guitar with his van parked in our window. He now was claiming I had lied to him about the girl and the bar was part of something or another in regards to a conspiracy against him.
A couple months later he was involved in an incident at a Stephan King book signing that made the news. Shortly after that the girl from the night came back in and asked if I had seen him on the news? I told her I had. She thanked me and said she was actually thinking of leaving with the guy that night. She just kept shaking her head in disbelief at how naive she was. I don’t know if this is a comment on her or him … or both. In regards to him: 1) He comes across somewhat normal at the start. 2) He isn’t crazy looking, quite the contrary. 3) He is very polite.
In regards to her: I think for her it was one of those times in life that you don’t ever forget. You never forget your first time in anything. Especially your first time you come across a schizophrenic and are unable to peg it.
Pixel

Wow, this guy’s website takes nutjob conspiracy theroy to an whole new level. Thsi is my favorite part of the little I read

http://www.lennonmurdertruth.com/killersname.asp
Tenn

Maturin knows.
Simon Cameron

What can I say? He makes a good case. And to think I enjoyed the Dark Tower.
freshacconci

Is it because Mark Chapman sort of looks like Stephen King? A fatter, uglier Stephen King?
ill lich

The mayor told Lightfoot that Casey Key, where King lives, is not under the jurisdiction of Sarasota County.

And neither are boroughs of NYC, nor counties in Maine, so what does he expect the city commission to do, pat him on the back and give him a cookie?

Besides, we all know the tri-lateral commission (under guidance from the Vatican) was behind the murder. I bet he works for them, and is obfuscate the TRUTH.
moustache

The site is down. Wayback to the rescue: http://web.archive.org/web/20071015052051/http://www.lennonmurdertruth.com/
nycjason

I am so loving that this thread got “Tower-jacked”

Khef, Ka and Ka-tet.

-ANDY, MESSENGER (Many Other Functions)
pauldrye

If Stephen King had killed John Lennon, he’d have used something a lot more eldritch and entertaining that bullets.
Matt23

I live near the Dakota building (where Lennon was shot) and this guy parks his van near my apartment all the time, although I haven’t seen him in a while. I think at the time he lived in the van. It had his site’s URL all over it with phrases like “Come together over this”
Anonymous

Many years ago this guy would walk up and down the main street of my small CA home town with a similar sign and sandwich board. Good to see he’s still going. Crazy as a bat, but really– couldn’t they give him his 3 minutes? Seems petty to cut him off and have the deputy escort him out…. not like he was throwing chairs around or something.
pilcrow

If you can’t spot the crazy person in the room, it is you.

Â¶
jimbuck

You know, I had it all on Tom Clancy until this guy made his compelling argument. And I feel sorry for Sarasota. The last thing it needs in this economy is a damaged image.
snappity

This guy has been ranting about this for decades. He used to hang around Bangor, Maine (King’s other home) in the early 90s, and when River Phoenix died, he apparently camped out at the Viper Room with his van to get the message out. My friends and I read that in People at the time, and thought, “OH! That’s where he’s gone to.”
Anonymous

In one of Stephen King’s books, one of his victims was a John Lennon Fan. I think this goes back as far back as Salem’s Lot.

I feel sorry for Stephen King. He’s sain, and he uses his imagination to good use, instead of bugging innocent people with insane ideas.

I feel sorry for anyone in the public eye that has to put up with this kind of stupidity.
Anonymous

#33: the guy driving the van that ran down Stephen King died shortly after.

that said this guy makes a pretty good case, even if its all malarchy, its just enough to make you think, which is the point.
popnfresh

This is the same paranoiac I used to see on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley in the late ’80s. He’d be walking up and down the avenue with his placard proclaiming that King killed Lennon. Berkeleyans are used to fringe elements wandering their streets so no one paid much attention. He used to occasionally wander into the store on Telegraph where I worked. One day I struck up a conversation with him. It wasn’t immediately apparent that he had few screws loose, but the more you talked to him his paranoid delusions began to gradually creep into the conversation. It was truly weird. I feel very sorry for him that he’s been trapped inside his paranoid world for all these years.
lieumorrison

Still, I’d like to see Stephen King defend himself from Steven Lightfoot’s murder accusations in wild-eye Charles Manson-esq exlaimations: “I’ve never killed anyone. I don’t need to kill anyone. I think it. I have it here [points to head]“
dculberson

Jesus this guy needs psych help.
MarkM

Favorite parts:

“My van says it all over the place”

“California laughed and look at California now; worst fire season in its history”

But, how does someone so obviously suffering from schizophrenia have a website that’s so non-broken?

http://www.lennonmurdertruth.com/about.asp
This part reminded me of A Beautiful Mind, when he’s talking about making connections to various seemingly unrelated magazine headlines– Im thinking his mind might not be as beautiful though.
zikzak

I think it’s nice that Stephen King actually wrote back to this guy with a friendly and concerned letter. I’d expect most famous people to simply ignore such crazy folk.
Ceronomus

The sad thing is that all this extra coverage will probably bring out at least a few more loons who will feed this poor man’s delusions.
Photons

I love that he also subtly accuses King of starting the wildfires in California at the end. Also I cracked up when he told them King was scaring off the celebrities. That means that celebrities are aware of his murderous past while nobody else but everyone else is living in ignorance. Real Grade A crazy.
Adam Stanhope

I was there, too, Popinfresh, et al.

He was a regular fixture on Telegraph in Berkeley in the late 1980s.

I used to wonder whether or not he was really crazy or if it was just an act. Watching from afar, I once saw him try to push one of his signpoles into the sidewalk concrete as if he were pushing it into a grass or a freshly plowed garden. I don’t think he knew he was being watched and he seemed genuinely perplexed that the concrete wasn’t easily giving way to his signpole.

I vote for crazy.
kellythewriter

Heh, I love sending these kinds of posts to my co-workers at the TV news station where I work. So many laughs are had by all. It’s a lot funnier when it’s happening to somebody else. :P
Adam Stanhope

I also think that Nixon was part of the overall arc of his conspiracy.
Jaimey

We also have a guy in Northern CA that drives around a van with SK killed Lennon propaganda all over the outside of it.
redteam

Sarasota, eh? This guy’s “crazy guy van” was a regular sight on Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz, California in the mid-1990′s.
geobarefoot

I used to work at a golf shop in Santa Clara, CA in the mid-1990′s and Stephen would come in on a weekly basis. A real nice guy and a good golfer, too!
angusm

When Stephen King killed John Lennon, I did not speak up, because I was not John Lennon. When he killed Kurt Cobain, I did not speak up, because I was not Kurt Cobain. When he killed Tupac, Biggie, and Proof, I did not speak up, because I don’t like rap music that much anyway. And when, after killing almost two hundred million other people, he finally came for me, I said “Dude! You’ve been busy! And hey, I really liked “Pet Sematary”, but let’s face it, “It” kind of sucked.”
Anonymous

I once saw this psycho’s van in Central Maine outside of a local bar. At that time he used to drive a white van plastered with all of his Stephen King theories. Even though I had many drinks before seeing it it hit me just how deranged this person really was and was certainly a buzzkill. You don’t get to see the genuine article that often.
dculberson

Crap, pilcrow, I’m alone in this room. I’d better start crossing my eyes and sticking out my tongue.
kpkpkp

I think this is the same dude that used to hand out leaflets in Santa Cruz.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rosie+mccann's+santa+cruz&sll=37.033048,-122.02086&sspn=1.644394,2.092896&gl=us&ie=UTF8&cd=1&t=h&z=15

The whole side of his van was papered with his manifesto.
Halloween Jack

After reading Lisey’s Story, I tend to believe that Big Steve King has gunslingers undercover surrounding him any and every time he appears in public, even if he’s going down to the corner store for chips and diet soda.
BookPodder

I’ve got to check when I get home, but somewhere I have a pile of whacked out photocopied screeds from this guy (or someone with the same ‘issues’) who used to hang around Bangor, ME back in the late 80′s/early 90′s. As I recall, the jumping off point for his theory was that in the famous picture of Chapman looking on as Lennon signed his copy of Double Fantasy, chubby 1980 Chapman bore a passing resemblance to a chubby-phase King.
nanuq

I hope for Stephen King’s sake that this guy’s fixation doesn’t escalate.
retchdog

It’s great how he says “He’s not suing me,” as a proof of the truth of his claims.
Anonymous

The mayor told Lightfoot that Casey Key, where King lives, is not under the jurisdiction of Sarasota County.

Correction:
The mayor told Lightfoot that Casey Key is under the jurisdiction of Sarasota County, not the City of Sarasota (two different entities).
Bynk

This must be Steven Lightfoot.
http://www.lennonmurdertruth.com/

I used to live in Santa Rosa, California. In the early 90′s he would come into the bookstore I worked in and would start off sounding sane, then take you into the deep end of his conspiracy.

Over the years Stephen King has conspired with both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton on this. Don’t know if he’s migrated to Bush or Obama. Lightfoot used to call KGO newstalk radio in SF; most of the time they would screen him out, but occasionally he would make it through.
jimh

@#20: You HAD a guy like that, and that’s the guy.
He gets around.

Also, #23: That’s his stuff.
mdh

It’s a lot funnier when it’s happening to somebody else. :P

I understand that a joke can make you less uncomfortable, and good for you, but your joke has made me more uncomfortable. I’m sure it was not your intent, but think for a second. Is there anything that makes a better punchline than untreated mental illness? Yes, there is.
h4x0r

The fact he’s using images instead of actual HTML or text….the fact he is using .ASP pages.

Where to begin? I mean, I’m sure he’s fun to have around at BBQ’s but cheeses christ, he’s a moron. There’s better ways to make a buck. Although it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the guy actually suckers in enough people (Into buying his docs proving the conspiracy) to make some serious money. Just look at how many mindless losers drool over reality tv shows.
Chuck

No, wrong.

Roland Deschain of Gilead shot John Lennon.

You can find the details of the shooting in the ninth book of the Dark Tower Ser…

What? That one hasn’t been published in this universe?

Where am I?
Anonymous

The author is mistaken. The problem was that Casey Key is not under the jurisdiction of the CITY of Sarasota. It IS under the jurisdiction of Sarasota County, and the County Board allowed him to speak on Wednesday.
Cazart

This guy is batshit-crazy, yet can not only program a website but get himself and his CrazyVan all over America to propagate this goofiness? Bravo, Lightfoot. You have not forgotten the face of your father.

You have, however, forgotten your meds.
Anonymous

YESSSSSS! This guy used to drive his crazy-covered van around Santa Cruz, CA back in the day. He’s right, we didn’t listen to him and look at us now. PLEASE COME BACK AND SAVE US FROM STEPHEN KING! HELP US BEFORE HE STRIKES AGAIN!!

Wish I could remember some of the other crazy sh*t he had written on his van. It was all good, good stuff.
deadflagblues

This is, without a doubt, my new favourite conspiracy theory.
minTphresh

my little town makes the news once more. never for anything good, though. no worries about “celeb cachet”, they flock there in late nov. early dec. every year to preen for the sarasota film festival. sigh.
Anonymous

Lightfoot lived in Santa Rosa, CA for a long time and would regularly make public appearances at the city council there.

http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/doclib/agendas_packets_minutes/Documents/20040210_CC_Minutes.html
David Pescovitz

DEADFLAGBLUES@31, Do you really prefer it to “Tonya Harding Shot JFK“?
Chocolatey Shatner

Wait, that guy drives a van? Remember “the accident” King had ten years ago? Conspiracies are fun! At least until the aardvarks get you…
rokarolla

This was an unacceptable loss for some. I fall into the group of folks chronically revisiting this crime, looking for something I haven’t seen before. It’s a back-burner obsession. I didn’t get far but

1)Yoko was pretty hasty getting Lennon cremated.
2)There are at least 3 different accounts of amount of rounds fired, and from what direction.
3)I saw a film about 1980 and the inaguration of Reagan at the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge MA. The film (maker) interviewed the officers that took Lennon to the hospital, maybe a year later in 81. I got shivers watching and listening to their account of asking Lennon who he was, and other inane questions, as he is literally bleeding to death in their squad car. I think a historian should track this documentary down.
4)Searches of Mark David Chapman have spokes that go outward in different directions, some familiar and disturbing. Dick Gregory(comedian/nutritionist/activist)is on record in one of his books saying Lennon’s death had a connection to Reagan. Lennon was planning an active return to the peace movement, and planning a financial endowment for the peace movement. Yoko still supports Amnesty Intl.
lettuce

I remember this guy from 15 years ago. Had the heavily-marked up van you’d expect. Wrote about him for my college paper…
http://www.lettuce.org/clipking.htm

He’s AWESOME
Wingo

I’m really digging the “nutjob at city meeting” meme.

Remember this one? Classic:

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/24/upset-gentleman-comp.html
spazzm

Is there anything that makes a better punchline than untreated mental illness?

Schadenfreude ist die schÃ¶nste Freude.
dpratt71

@#50 I’ve seen Stephen King in public twice: Once at the supermarket and once at a convenience store. Might there have been “gunslingers” at the supermarket? Sure. At the convenience store? They must’ve had really good hiding places.
Fred H

I work in a record store, and we get more than our fair share of customers who are mentally ill. There’s a few lines that make me think this guy isn’t all that crazy. They’re funny, and they seem to be subtle shots at the commission for not letting him have his say:
“Steven King is scaring away all the celebrity cachet you could have,” and “Your reputation hangs in the balance!”
I dunno, maybe I’m wrong. He just seems more aware of what he’s doing than he’s letting on. When I get hit with lines like that, I laugh and shake my head, as if to say “give me a break.” The difference being I’m laughing with them, not at. They usually leave peacefully. I HOPE the poor guy isn’t that paranoid 24-7.