Man who killed John Lennon denied parole for eighth time

Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon in 1980, has once again been denied parole, and will remain in prison for at least two more years.

This was Chapman's eighth appearance before a parole board, and the eighth time his request has been denied following a hearing.

Chapman shot the Beatles member on 8 December 1980 outside his Manhattan apartment, firing five shots, four of which hit Lennon in front of his wife, Yoko Ono, and others.

In 1981, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He has now served 33 years.

In their concluding statement, the panel told Chapman that if released, "you would not live and remain at liberty without again violating the law. This victim had displayed kindness to you earlier in the day, and your actions have devastated a family and those who loved the victim."

At a previous hearing in 2012, Chapman described how Lennon had signed an album cover for him on the day of the killing. "He was very kind to me," he said. "I did try to tell myself to leave. I've got the album, take it home, show my wife, everything will be fine. But I was so compelled to commit that murder that nothing would have dragged me away from his building."

Chapman will be eligible to apply for parole again in two years time.