John J. Lennon

John J. Lennon (born 1977[1]) is an incarcerated journalist. Lennon has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and more, all while being incarcerated at Sing Sing for second-degree murder and selling drugs for 28 years to life.[2] He published his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime, in 2025.

Early life

Lennon was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to Sean Lennon and Laura Feaster.[3] His father was an alcoholic who relapsed when he was born, leaving him in New York Foundling home for neglected and abused children until his mom was able to gain custody back.[3] His mother married George O’Connell in 1985; who Lennon said taught him about the Westies gang, romanticizing their actions.[2][3]

At 15 Lennon was arrested for second-degree assault and sent to Spofford Juvenile Center.[2] At 17, he was arrested for firearm possession and spent a year in Rikers Island.[3]

Killing and incarceration

Lennon was selling cocaine and had built up a network of sellers, when he heard that Alex Lawson had shaken down one of his dealers.[4] He shot Lawson multiple times and dropped his body off a pier.[5] Lennon's first trial resulted in a hung jury, in the second he was convicted of second-degree murder with a sentence of 28 years to life.[5]

While in prison, in 2008, Lennon was stabbed by an acquaintance of Lawson's in revenge for the murder.[2]

Lennon has submitted a clemency application to Governor Kathy Hochul and will be eligible for parole in 2029.[3]

Journalism

After being transferred to Attica Correctional Facility, Lennon took a creative writing workshop taught by Doran Larson. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he sent an unsolicited article to The Atlantic about gun control, focusing on how he was able to obtain an unlicensed gun. It was published in August 2013 under the title "A Convicted Murderer's Case for Gun Control".[6]

Lawson's sister asked Lennon to stop using her brother's name in his articles, accusing him of "victimiz[ing] my brother in perpetuity", which Lennon agreed to.[5][7]

In September 2025, Lennon published his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime, which covers his own experience and profiles other prisoners.[8]

References

  1. ^ "John J. Lennon's Biography". Muckrack. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Rehagen, Tony (August 17, 2018). "The freelance writer of Sing Sing". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Blau, Reuven (July 10, 2025). "From Convicted Killer to Magazine Writer: One Prisoner's Bid for Mercy". The City. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  4. ^ Gross, Daniel A. (April 2, 2018). "How John J. Lennon Became a Prison Journalist—From the Inside". Literary Hub. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Drost, Philip (September 21, 2025). "Murder, he wrote: How an inmate found his voice through journalism". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Lennon, John J. (August 21, 2013). "A Convicted Murderer's Case for Gun Control". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  7. ^ "An incarcerated writer wrote a piece about apologizing to the family of the man he killed. Now the victim's sister has responded". The Washington Post. September 1, 2020. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  8. ^ Colloff, Pamela (September 23, 2025). "A Journalist on the Inside Upends Good vs. Evil Criminal Stereotypes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.