John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole Again

(AP)  John Lennon's killer was denied parole for a fifth time Tuesday by a board that said he remains a threat to the public.

Mark David Chapman will remain in New York's Attica Correctional Facility for at least two more years for gunning down the former Beatle nearly three decades ago on a Manhattan sidewalk.

Chapman, 53, has been in prison for 27 years since pleading guilty to the murder, which he has said he committed to gain attention. He became eligible for parole in 2000 after serving 20 years of a maximum life sentence.

In a one-page decision issued after Chapman's appearance Tuesday, parole board members said they denied his parole "due to concern for the public safety and welfare."

The parole board said the although Chapman has had a clean disciplinary record since 1994, he told board members during the hearing that he planned and conducted Lennon's killing "with an essentially clear mind."

Considering that, the board said, his release "would not be in the best interest of the community."

A transcript of the 36-minute hearing, conducted by two parole board members, was not immediately available.

Chapman, a former maintenance man from Hawaii, fired five shots outside Lennon's apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980, hitting Lennon four times in front of his wife, Yoko Ono, and others.

Ono, who has previously written the parole board arguing against Chapman's release, did not offer any testimony in his latest hearing.

"She was very pleased at the division of parole's decision," said her lawyer, Peter Shukat. He declined to comment further.

Fifty people sent letters and 1,100 others signed a petition opposing his release, while three wrote in urging that he be set free, said Heather Groll, a state Parole Division spokeswoman.

Chapman's next appearance before the board is scheduled for August 2010.

[avigil2]

I miss the days of artists like John Lennon. He was a true original and wrote and sang one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, "Imagine".

[keithle1]

So sad. I wonder if Lennon would still be alive if he had stayed in the UK. Only in the USA do famous people/celebs get shot & killed. Buying a gun is no big deal. But then maybe Chapman would have tracked John down wherever he was.

I''m not a Yoko Ono fan by any means but when I watch her on TV talking about John''s murder I do feel for her. They were really in love. About as close as a couple can be. Like Nancy & Ronnie.

[whiskyrokkr]

This piece of human excrement should never see the light of day. What a scum bag

[zucchiniman]

I wonder if Chapman still enjoys the attention he craved??? In terms of John Lennon''s talent, I always thought that at age 40, the best was yet to come. He was just getting started on another big part of his life.

[marsbabe]

John Lennon was a genius, period. To really get to know him I recommend his good childhood friend Pete Shotten''s book "In My Life", I think the title was. John was and is an amazing force of nature. His music, straight from God. I was a young American woman traveling on business in Valpariso Chile that horrifying day after. I was meeting some co-workers in a place called the Roland Bar, our favorite local hang-out. A couple of my co-workers knew me well enough to know my love for The Beatles. I remember walking into the place and being confronted by everyone, all just staring at me with open mouths. It seemed like the whole bar was quietly holding it''s breath. My best friend in the group spoke up, "Did you see any of the newspapers on the way over here?" I said no. He reached out, took my arm and said, "You''d better sit down."

[hober_mallow]

I remember when Howard Cosell interviewed John Lennon during a Monday Night Football game. It was most enjoyable.

The Beatles landed at JFK on the exact date of my 13th birthday. You might say that I spent my entire teenage years with the Beatles.

By the way, I''m looking for a nice, reasonably-priced Rickenbacker 325. Would anyone have any info on that?

[bombadil4]

There may indeed be good reasons, both for Chapman himself and for the rest of us, to keep him right where he is. Still, in less notorious cases, the reasons for denying parole are often arbitrary at best and malicious at worst. If the sentence called for the possibility of parole, then the decision should be based on behavior and degree of rehabilitation. Things like the heinousness of the crime, the celebrity or age of the victim, the proportion of "no" to "yes" letters, or the personal "hunches" of the parole board should not come into play. Many would advocate set sentences with no parole for anyone and even that might be better than our present "pretend" system.

[mick7744]

Sure...it''s been 27 years, but John Lennon is still dead and I was robbed of the last friend of my youth.

I was fortunate enough to be stationed at the Marine Barracks in London in the early 60s and enjoyed the Beatles for over two years and flew back to the States just three days before The Beatles stormed into NYC to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show.

I brought back 10 copies of the %u2018Meet The Beatles%u2019 album on the original Vee Jay label with the blank back (no song titles%u2026very rare). Had I kept them unopened until now, my accountant would be making a fortune just to count my money, but alas, my nieces and their girlfriends got `em all (my oldest niece got a second copy (mine) as she took a knife to the first one I gave her when she heard a rumor that Paul McCartney was getting engaged)

[mick7744]

I almost met Lennon once, walking along the Central Park transverse at 81st Street Transverse. I was going west, he east. He saw me recognizing him and probably guessed that I was going to regale him with tales of all the times I %u2018almost%u2019 got to see the Beatles live while in the UK. As we approached each other, he urgently pointed to the crowd of Shakespeare fans picnicking alongside our path. I got it! If anyone over there spotted me recognizing him, he would be run out of the park.. I gave him a thumbs up to signal that I understood and as we passed each other, he said, %u201CThanks mate.%u201D

Living on the west side, I always thought there would be another time.

At the time John Lennon was killed, I was picking up a friend just a block from the Dakota to take him to La Guardia Airport. We noticed nothing as I took the Park Transverse by the entrance to Lennon%u2019s building, almost getting to the Triboro Bridge before hearing the first report. He was pronounced dead before we reached the airport.

[kennedy7955]

This guy would have gotten out a long time ago if he had murdered someone that was not famous. That said, I hope he rots in jail forever.