Killer of John Lennon loses parole bid for 10th time

Reuters -  The man who gunned down rock icon John Lennon nearly 38 years ago failed in his tenth try to win freedom from a prison sentence that could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life, New York prison authorities said on Thursday (August 23). A state board denied parole for Mark David Chapman, 63, after a hearing and told him he would have to wait another two years until it considers him for release again, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said. "The panel has determined that your release would be incompatible with the welfare and safety of society," a three-member panel of the state Board of Parole told Chapman in a letter. Chapman, who has previously said he was severely troubled when he shot the former Beatle and was seeking to gain notoriety, is serving 20 years to life after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 1981. Known as inmate 81A3860, Chapman has been held at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, just east of Buffalo, since 2012 when he was transferred from Attica, about 15 miles away.