The man who shot John Lennon, Mark David Chapman, has had his latest bid for freedom rejected by New York parole officials. They say the premeditated and vicious nature of his crime indicated that Chapman was still a threat to society. Parole board members did note Chapman's efforts to rehabilitate himself over the years, but said letting him go at this time would "deprecate the seriousness" of the crime and "diminish respect for the law".
In a statement to Chapman they said: "You have acknowledged that you planned this murder for several months intending to wipe out this international celebrity for being a hypocrite living a decadent lifestyle." Chapman, who once blamed a troubled relationship with his father for the Lennon murder, reportedly resides in a secluded cell apart from the general prison population for his own safety.
The latest decision was handed down yesterday - what would have been Lennon's 62nd birthday. Chapman's next parole hearing is scheduled for October 2004. Yoko Ono, who wrote a letter to parole officers urging them to not release Chapman the last time he was up for parole two years ago, has yet to comment on the latest decision.