It was nearly 30 years ago now that Mark David Chapman waited for and shot John Lennon in front of his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980, but that hardly matters to Yoko Ono; the former Beatle's widow is still opposed to the release of Chapman, who is up for parole next month.
This isn't the first time Ono has opposed Chapman's parole, and as Reuters reports, she's once more sent a letter to the parole board urging it to deny Chapman's release.
"Her position has not changed," Ono's lawyer, Peter Shukat, said, although he didn't reveal whether it was the same letter she sent in 2000, or presumably every two years since Chapman became eligible for parole.
That letter read: "I am afraid [Chapman's release] 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."
She added that Chapman himself might not be safe if allowed back on the streets.
Chapman, who is now 55 and serving a 20-years-to-life sentence for his actions, will see a three-member parole board on August 9. Chapman has been kept in a separate unit from other inmates due to his notoriety, and has held a clean prison record since 1994. This will be his sixth bid for parole.
Robert Gangi, head of the prisoners' rights group, Correctional Association of America, doubts Chapman will see release because of the public outrage it would encounter.
"Given that he committed 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," Gangi told the press.
Lennon would have turned 70 this year, on October 9. In celebration, his solo catalogue is being remastered. All the details surrounding the releases are here.
This isn't the first time Ono has opposed Chapman's parole, and as Reuters reports, she's once more sent a letter to the parole board urging it to deny Chapman's release.
"Her position has not changed," Ono's lawyer, Peter Shukat, said, although he didn't reveal whether it was the same letter she sent in 2000, or presumably every two years since Chapman became eligible for parole.
That letter read: "I am afraid [Chapman's release] 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."
She added that Chapman himself might not be safe if allowed back on the streets.
Chapman, who is now 55 and serving a 20-years-to-life sentence for his actions, will see a three-member parole board on August 9. Chapman has been kept in a separate unit from other inmates due to his notoriety, and has held a clean prison record since 1994. This will be his sixth bid for parole.
Robert Gangi, head of the prisoners' rights group, Correctional Association of America, doubts Chapman will see release because of the public outrage it would encounter.
"Given that he committed 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," Gangi told the press.
Lennon would have turned 70 this year, on October 9. In celebration, his solo catalogue is being remastered. All the details surrounding the releases are here.
