24 Aug 2012

Lennon's killer denied parole for seventh time

10:00 am on 24 August 2012

The man who shot John Lennon dead in 1980 has been denied parole for the seventh time.

Mark Chapman got a sentence of between 20 years and life in 1981 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He shot the former Beatle four times in the back outside a Manhattan apartment building.

He has come up for parole every two years since 2000 and has been turned down each time.

The New York State Board of Parole said on Wednesday that his release would risk trivialising Lennon's murder.

"Despite your positive efforts while incarcerated, your release at this time would greatly undermine respect for the law," the board says in its decision.

Chapman, who is now 57, was recently transferred to the maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility in western New York state. He can reapply for parole in two years.