John Lennon's killer faces 7th parole hearing this weekAugust 20, 2012 - 12:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - John Lennon's killer faces his seventh parole hearing later this week, BBC News reported. Mark David Chapman, now 57, was jailed for 20 years to life after he confessed to shooting the Beatles singer outside his New York apartment in 1980. He has come up for parole every two years since 2000 and has been turned down each time. In 2010, officials said his release remained "inappropriate". A decision on whether to release him will likely be made public by the end of the week, a prison spokeswoman said. Chapman's interviews with the parole board will take place at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Alden, New York, where he is currently held. He was transferred to the facility in May this year, where he was understood to have been placed in protective custody, though the reason was never made public. In the past, Lennon's wife Yoko Ono is among those who have urged New York state officials to keep him behind bars, saying she fears for her own life and that of her two sons. The former security guard, who has a history of mental illness, claims to have undergone a religious conversion while in prison. On his last attempt at release - in September 2010 - Chapman is understood to have told the parole board he believed that "by killing John Lennon I would become somebody". "I wasn't thinking clearly," Chapman stated, "I made a horrible decision to end another human being's life, for reasons of selfishness. I felt that by killing John Lennon I would become somebody and instead of that I became a murderer and murderers are not somebodies," he said. Denying parole at the time, the board cited his "disregard" for human life, adding: "This premeditated, senseless and selfish act of tragic consequence... leads to the conclusion that your discretionary release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community." Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |