Mark David Chapman -- the man who killed John Lennon in cold blood the morning of December 8th, 1980 -- was recently up for parole.

It did not go well.

12th TIME IS NOT A CHARM

Chapman was up for parole for the 12th time at the end of August, according to New York corrections officials. And for the 12th time, his parole was denied.

New York Department of Corrections
New York Department of Corrections
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At 11:15 pm on December 8th, 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan when Chapman approached and shot Lennon. Lennon had signed a copy of his album Double Fantasy for Chapman earlier that day.

Mourning Lennon
Getty Images
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At the time, Chapman gave his reason for killing Lennon:

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.

 

IS FUTURE PAROLE POSSIBLE?

Arguably the two most famous shots fired in the U.S. during the early '80s was from Mark David Chapman and from John Hinckley, Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

You'd think attempting to assassinate a president would result in life imprisonment, but Hinckley walks free today. He was fully released from court restrictions in June of 2022, with confinement gradually eased since as far back as 2003.

Obviously they are two completely different cases. One resulted in death, and one did not. Hinckley was also found "not guilty" by reason of insanity, whereas Chapman was deemed sane and plead guilty to second-degree murder. Still, you can't help but think... if Hinckley could get out... could Mark David Chapman?

Chapman's next appearance in front a parole board is tentatively set for February 2024.

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