Yoko Ono has again opposed bail for Mark David Chapman, the deranged fan who shot John Lennon dead outside their home in the Dakota Building in New York City. This December 8th marks the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s murder. Chapman is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in a prison in upstate New York, and is scheduled to be interviewed by the prison parole board this week, in his sixth bid for release.
Ono has constantly opposed his release, with her lawyer Peter Shukat saying “Her position has not changed,” Shukat. He declined to say whether it was the same letter that Ono has submitted every two years since Chapman became eligible for parole in 2000, which said “I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again. Myself and John’s two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives.”
Chapman works in the prison as a porter and a law library assistant, but is housed in a separate unit of the prison due to his notoriety. He also receives ‘conjugal visits’ of up to 44 hours from his wife who lives in Hawaii. The head of the prisoner’s rights group the Correctional Association of America Robert Gangi believes he won’t be released due to the public outrage it would cause.
“Given that he commited a high profile crime and he killed one of the most famous and most beloved figures literally in the world, it’s highly unlikely three parole commissioners would vote to grant him release.” Lennon would have been 70 this October.
