John Lennon’s Murderer Up for Parole This Week in Alden

John Lennon’s murderer, Mark David Chapman, will meet with the parole board at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden this week. Chapman murdered the former Beatle outside his New York City apartment building,  The Dakota, on December 8, 1980.

Many movies and biographies have chronicled the events leading up to Lennon’s death and tried to gain an understanding about what was going through Chapman’s head. Thirty-two years later, Lennon’s death still seems surreal -- a star gunned down in his prime by a mad Chapman who had stalked the singer for several days. The notorious assassin even stood outside The Dakota to get Lennon’s autograph earlier in the evening. When Lennon returned from a recording session that night, Chapman shot the singer in front of his wife, Yoko Ono.

Chapman now takes up residence in Alden at Wende Correctional Facility. He was transferred there in May. A spokesman for the state prison system went on record at the time of his transfer saying that "the agency doesn't disclose why inmates are transferred to a new facility."

Chapman has been denied parole six other times, and you can be sure that any parole would be met with opposition from the legion of Lennon fans who wish he was still with us, making music and spreading his message of non-violence. Lennon's widow has lobbied the board before to let them know that she believes Chapman is still a danger to her and her family.

A New York Department of Correction spokeswoman confirmed that Chapman, who has been deemed unsuitable for release every time, will meet with the board by the end of the week.