Silke Jasso
Mark David Chapman, the man who tragically shot and killed John Lenon over 40 years ago has been denied parole for the 12th time. The 67-year-old is currently serving a 20-year life sentence at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York. The parole board decided to keep Chapman behind bars every two years since he was first eligible for parole in 2000.
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The New York Departments of Corrections and Community Supervision has yet to release any details about his parole case. According to NPR, Chapman was denied parole in 2018, which was his 10th time. the panel went on to say that releasing him would be “incompatible with the welfare and safety of society.” The panel went on to say that he had shown a “callous disregard” for human suffering and pain.
Mark David Chapman Denied Parole for 12th Time
Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, has repeatedly sent a letter to the parole board every two years to request Chapman remains in prison.
On December 8, 1980, Chapman traveled from Hawaii to New York to assassinate The Beatles member. He reportedly had met the singer earlier that day, according to the 2012 parole hearing transcript. During that parole hearing, he told the panel he briefly struggled internally on whether or not to carry out the tragic murder.
“It wasn’t all totally cold-blooded, but most of it was. I did try to tell myself to leave. I’ve got the album, take it home, show my wife, everything will be fine,” Chapman said back then. “But I was so compelled to commit that murder that nothing would have dragged me away from that building.”
He continued, “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’s next opportunity for parole is in February 2024.
