John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole

Mark David Chapman denied fifth shot at release; will be reeligible in two years

If Mark David Chapman wants to know what it's like to be free, well, he'll have to just imagine.

For the fifth time since becoming eligible for release, John Lennon's killer was denied parole from New York's Attica Correctional Facility Tuesday.

Parole board members issued a brief one-page decision on the denial after meeting with Chapman, saying that despite his clean disciplinary record since 1994, his release "would not be in the best interest of the community."

Or, more likely, in the best interest of Chapman's safety.

"It's dangerous for him to come out," Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, told the New York Daily News Monday. "Not only for us, but for himself."

Ono added that she had personally asked parole officials to deny Chapman's request.

The 53-year-old will remain in Attica for at least two more years before becoming reeligible for parole. He has so far served 27 years of a maximum life sentence behind bars.

For the two people unaware, Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for gunning down the former Beatle outside his Manhattan apartment building, the Dakota, on Dec. 8, 1980.