Where is Mark David Chapman now? John Lennon’s killer denied parole for the 12th time

John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the 12th time, recently, in August 2022. 67-year-old Chapman shot and killed Beatles icon John Lennon in December 1980 outside of the singer's Manhattan apartment in New York, AP had reported.

According to NPR, Chapman was reportedly sentenced to serve twenty years to life, at Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York, for the murder of John Lennon and has been eligible for parole every two years since 2000.

Multiple reports stated that during his last parole hearing in 2020, Chapman expressed remorse for his actions and apologized to Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, saying that he deserved the death penalty for his actions.

During his hearing, Chapman told the parole board,

“When you knowingly plot someone’s murder and know it’s wrong and you do it for yourself, that’s a death penalty right there, in my opinion.”

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John Lennon signed Chapman's Double Fantasy record copy before being killed outside his home in New York

Regarded as the most incomparable band of all time, Beatles became a pop-culture phenomenon during their reign in the 60s and 70s. During that time, John Lennon, the epicenter of the band, had made an indelible mark in people’s lives.

In 1980, Chapman, a former fan of the legendary rock band and a religious fanatic, had traveled from Hawaii to New York, armed with a gun, with the motive to assassinate Lennon because he was provoked by Lennon's claim that Jesus was less popular than his band.

According to multiple reports, on December 8, 1980, Chapman waited outside Lennon’s Manhattan building where the latter lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, and saw the couple leave the building to visit his recording studio.

On the day of his death, Lennon, aged 40 at the time, was reportedly photographed signing Chapman’s record copy titled 'Double Fantasy' before getting into his car. A 2012 parole hearing transcript revealed Chapman debated whether to carry out the murder, stating:

"It wasn't all totally cold-blooded, but most of it was. I did try to tell myself to leave. I've got the album, take it home, show my wife, everything will be fine, but I was so compelled to commit that murder that nothing would have dragged me away from that building."

When Lennon and Ono returned around 11:30 pm, Chapman shot Lennon four times on his back with bullets. Shortly after, Lennon was declared dead at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital.

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Yoko Ono wants Chapman to remain in prison for the murder of John Lennon

Yoko Ono has reportedly sent a letter to the parole board every two years asking that the prisoner remain behind bars, citing safety concerns.

In 2020, Chapman apologized to Lennon’s family and expressed remorse for his actions.

During his parole hearing, he said:

“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.”

In an apology to Ono, he added:

“I want to add that and emphasize that greatly. It was an extremely selfish act. I’m sorry for the pain that I caused to her (Ono). I think about it all of the time.”

Chapman’s next parole hearing is set for February 2024. However, the prisoner does not seem too downcast from repeated rejections by the parole board. The Post reported that since 2014, Chapman has been allowed regular conjugal visits with his wife Gloria Abe.