Liston Daily

Mark David Chapman, the person who shot and killed John Lennon in 1980, is up for parole and is scheduled to be interviewed by members of the parole board on August 9th. This is Chapman’s sixth shot at parole, the last five were denied. He first applied for parole in 2000, then again in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008. The 2008 attempt at parole was denied “due to concern for the public safety and welfare” according to the New York State Division of Parole.

Chapman shot and killed John Lennon on December 8, 1980. Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were outside their New York apartment at that time and Chapman approached Lennon from behind and shot him four times. Chapman did not escape after the shooting, he remained in the crime scene and waited for the police to arrive and arrest him. He was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years to life.

Chapman, now 55, has served 29 years of his sentence and has not had an infraction since 1994. In the last 20 years Chapman has been allowed conjugal visits with his wife, a privilege that can only be enjoyed by prisoners who “meet certain criteria.” Chapman has his own prison cell at the Attica State Prison in New York but he spends most of his time outside his cell doing housekeeping jobs and staying at the prison library. Erik Kriss, spokesman for the Department of Corrections said that Chapman “goes about his business, doing his prison job and without any fanfare.”