Mark Chapman, John Lennon's killer, denied parole for ninth time

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon to death in 1980 was denied parole for the ninth time, the New York State Board of Parole said on Monday.

The three-person board concluded that the premeditated and celebrity-seeking nature of the crime was grounds to keep Chapman, now 61, in prison. He's been in upstate New York's maximum security Wende Correctional Facility for 36 years.

In a nearly identical statement to the denial of parole the board issued in 2014, Monday's statement concluded: "From our interview and review of your records, we find that your release would be incompatible with the welfare of society and would so deprecate that seriousness of the crime as to undermine respect for the law."

During his 2014 hearing, Chapman told the board, "I found my peace in Jesus," he said. "I know him. He loves me. He has forgiven me. He has helped in my life like you wouldn't believe."

Chapman's next parole hearing is in 2018.