For the ninth time since his incarceration for the December 8, 1980 murder of musician and former Beatles member John Lennon, Mark David Chapman has been denied parole.
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Chapman, who is now imprisoned in Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County, New York, will have to wait until 2018 before he can go before the Board of Parole panel again.
“In spite of many favorable factors, we find all to be outweighed by the premeditated and celebrity seeking nature of the crime”. But in the past, the parole board has argued that releasing him would “undermine respect for the law”.
According to the ruling released by the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the board considered factors including Chapman’s “personal efforts to study and educate yourself”, the “network of support and release plans” and “official opposition”.
The killer fired five shots outside the Dakota apartment house on December 8, 1980, hitting Lennon four times in front of his wife, Yoko and others.
Ageing Chapman is held in protective custody against his will and has been employed by the prison as an office clerk. He will not have another parole hearing until 2018.
One of those letters opposing parole came from Ono, her lawyer, Jonas Herbsman, had previously confirmed.
In past parole hearings, the once pudgy killer has claimed to have found Jesus while behind bars. He also said he was “confused” and “needed a lot of attention at that time, and I took it out on him”.
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He is allowed out of his cell a minimum of three hours a day.
