John Lennon signing Double Fantasy for Mark David Chapman on 8th December 1980
A parole board has decided not to release Chapman after interviewing him on Tuesday by teleconference at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York.
It was Chapman's sixth appearance before the board since becoming eligible for parole in 2000. He will be eligible again in 2012. After Tuesday's decision, the board wrote to Chapman that it remains concerned about "the disregard you displayed for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life when, after careful planning, you traveled to New York for the sole purpose of killing John Lennon."
The panel said "release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community." Among those who have opposed his release is John's now 77-year-old widow, Yoko Ono, who said last month that she believed Chapman is a potential threat to her family and perhaps himself.
The former maintenance man from Hawaii was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after firing five shots outside The Dakota building on Dec. 8, 1980, killing John. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. At his last parole hearing, in 2008, Chapman told the panel he was ashamed and sorry for what he had done and had since developed a deeper understanding of the value of a human life. He said he had been seeking notoriety and fame to counter feelings of failure. After that interview, parole officials noted that Chapman had not been disciplined in prison since 1994 and said he had adjusted to his incarceration. But they denied release "due to concern for the public safety and welfare," according to the written decision. Chapman was informed of the panel's most recent finding a few hours after the hearing. The state Division of Parole is expected to release a transcript of the interview within the next several days. John would have turned 70 this October.
Yoko's lawyer Peter Shukat told a newspaper that Yoko was "very pleased" to hear of the decision to keep Chapman incarcerated.
