Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon as he was entering the New York apartment building where he lived, was again denied parole for the murder, New York corrections officials said Monday.
Chapman, 67, shot Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980, outside of the Dakota apartment building Lennon shared with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean.
Chapman appeared before a parole board at the end of August, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The decision on the denial of parole was announced this week. The decision marks the 12th time he has been denied parole.
Chapman called his actions in Lennon’s death “despicable” during a parole hearing in 2020, and said he would have “no complaint whatsoever” if they chose to leave him in prison for the rest of his life, The Associated Press reported.
“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,” Chapman said then.
The transcript of the August hearing has not yet been released.
Chapman shot Lennon four times from behind as he was entering the apartment complex. He had asked Lennon to autograph a copy of the “Double Fantasy” album earlier in the day.
After the shooting as people rushed to help Lennon, Chapman sat down on the sidewalk and waited for police. He was reading J.D. Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” when he was arrested.
Chapman was sentenced to a 20-years-to-life sentence in Lennon’s killing. His next parole hearing will be in February 2024.
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