Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon, has said he’s “sorry for being such an idiot”.
Earlier this week, Lennon’s killer was once again denied parole. This was Chapman’s eighth appearance in front of the parole board, and the eighth denial of his request for parole. He will remain in prison for at least another two years.
A transcript of the hearing has been released, “I am sorry for causing that type of pain. I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory,” said Chapman during the hearing to a three person panel, reports The Independent. “Many, many people loved him. He was a great and talented man and they are still hurting. I get letters so that’s a major factor. It’s not a regular crime.”
Lennon was shot four times on December 8th 1980, outside his home at the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan. In 1981, Chapman was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He has currently served 33 years.
In their concluding statement, the parole board told Chapman that if released, “you would not live and remain at liberty without again violating the law. This victim had displayed kindness to you earlier in the day, and your actions have devastated a family and those who loved the victim.”
At a previous parole hearing in 2012, Chapman described meeting Lennon and said the singer had signed an album cover for him hours before the killing. “He was very kind to me,” he said. “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 his building,” Chapman said.
Chapman will be eligible to apply for parole again in 2016.
