John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, denied parole for the 12th time
John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was denied parole for the 12th time, New York corrections officials said on Monday, Sept. 12.
The 67-year-old Chapman appeared before a parole board in August, but will not be released from the Green Haven Correctional Facility.
He first became eligible for parole in 2000 and has been denied every time. He is set to appear before the board in February 2024.
In previous parole hearings, Chapman repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions, which he called "despicable" and even said he "deserved the death penalty" at the time.
"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," he said then.
"I deserve zero, nothing. At the time I deserved the death penalty. When you knowingly plot someone's murder and know it's wrong and you do it for yourself, that's a death penalty right there, in my opinion."
He also said he often thinks about Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, who has not remarried after his death.
"I just want her to know that she knows her husband like no one else and knows the kind of man he was. I didn't," Chapman said.
Chapman shot the former Beatles member on December 8, 1980, outside Lennon's luxury Manhattan apartment building. The fan earlier asked for an autograph from the rock star and voluntarily remained at the scene of the crime until he was apprehended by the police.
The now 67-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June 1981 and is serving 20 years to life sentence.