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John Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, was denied parole again.
Chapman’s latest parole hearing took place at the end of August, though no transcripts from the board interview have been made available yet. In a statement, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said, “Following an interview with the Board of Parole on August 31, 2022, Mr. Chapman was denied release with a hold of 18 months. His next appearance date is scheduled for February 2024.” This marks the 12th time that Chapman’s attempt at parole has been denied.
Chapman shot and killed Lennon outside the musician’s Manhattan apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. The following year, Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 years to life at Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York. He was first up for parole in 2000 and has had hearings every two years since.
In past parole hearings, as The Associated Press notes, Chapman has expressed remorse for killing Lennon, stating that he has felt “more and more shame” for his crime over the years. During his last parole interview in 2020, he called his actions “despicable” and said, “I assassinated him … because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason, and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory. Very selfish.”
Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, has repeatedly argued against Chapman’s release, expressing fears for her own safety, as well as that of Lennon’s sons, Julian and Sean. “One thing I think is that he did it once, he could do it again, to somebody else — you know,” Ono told The Daily Beast in 2015. “It could be me, it could be Sean, it could be anybody, so there is that concern.”
