Mark David Chapman Denied Parole for the 12th Time

Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon in 1980, was denied parole for the 12th time after his most recent appearance in front of the New York parole board.

On the evening of December 18, 1980, Chapman fatally shot Lennon as he and his wife Yoko Ono were returning to their apartment in New York City’s Upper West Side. Lennon signed an autograph for Chapman earlier in the day.

Chapman previously stated that he suffered from depression and other mental health challenges throughout his life prior to Lennon’s killing. Chapman traveled from his home in Hawaii to New York City with the intention to kill Lennon.

Chapman pled guilty to second-degree murder in June 1981 and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life at the Green Haven Correctional Facility two months later. Since 2000, Chapman has sought parole every two years. His most recent appearance in front of a parole board was on August 31. It was announced Monday he was denied parole for the 12th time.

When Chapman was denied parole in 2018, the parole board told NPR that releasing him would be “incompatible with the welfare and safety of society.” Ono has sent a letter to the parole board every two years advocating for Chapman to remain in prison.

His next opportunity for parole is in February 2024.