John Lennon's killer to face parole board again

(CBS News) The killer of former Beatle John Lennon could have a parole hearing as early as Tuesday, an official with the New York Department of Corrections said.

Mark David Chapman is up for parole for the seventh time since gunning down Lennon in front of his New York City apartment in December 1980. Corrections Department spokeswoman Linda Foglia told the Associated Press that he'll stand before the parole board sometime this week, with a decision possibly coming Thursday or Friday.

He was sentenced to 20 years to life in 1981 and was last denied parole in September 2010. Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, has opposed Chapman's release in the past, citing safety concerns for her and her family.

Lennon would have been 72 in October. The date of his death, Dec. 8, is still marked to this day by a music-filled vigil in Central Park's "Strawberry Fields," located just across the street from where he was shot.