MARK David Chapman, the man who shot dead John Lennon, has been denied parole for a tenth time.
Chapman, 63, will remain behind bars for at least two more years after his appeal was turned down by the New York State Board of Parole.
His latest bid for freedom was denied on the grounds that his being freed "would be incompatible with the welfare and safety of society".
The parole board added that Chapman's release would not only "tend to mitigate the seriousness of your crime", but would also endanger public safety because someone might try to harm him out of anger, revenge or to gain notoriety.
"Not only did you choose someone who was a world-renowned person and beloved by millions – regardless of the pain and suffering you would cause to his family, friends and so many others – you demonstrated a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life and the pain and suffering of others," they said.
Chapman, then 25, was jailed for 20 years to life after he shot the Beatles icon five times in the back at the entrance to his Manhattan home on December 8, 1980.
The Texas native initially claimed that he killed Lennon – shortly after he was photographed receiving an autograph from the musician – because he wanted to become famous.
Chapman, who is imprisoned at the Wende Correctional Facility in western New York, will have to wait until August 2020 before he can again apply for parole.
His most recent appeal prior to this year was turned down in 2016.
Lennon's widow Yoko Ono had once again voiced her opposition to Chapman’s bid for freedom, writing a letter to the parole board as she has done on all nine previous occasions.
Ono, 85, claims that Chapman’s release would pose a direct threat to both of Lennon’s children – Julian, 55, and her own son Sean, 42.
