John Lennon’s killer denied parole for 14th time

The man who killed John Lennon has been denied parole for the 14th time, according to New York prison officials.

Mark Chapman shot John Lennon on the night of December 8, 1980, as the musician and his wife, Yoko Ono, were returning to their Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan. Lennon had signed an autograph for Chapman on a copy of his recently released album, Double Fantasy, earlier that day.

Chapman planned the killing over several months, and waited for Lennon at the Dakota in Manhattan on the morning of December 8. It was discovered that Chapman had considered targeting several other celebrities, including David Bowie.

The murder triggered a global outpouring of grief, with crowds gathering at Roosevelt Hospital and outside the Dakota, and tributes held worldwide.

He was arrested shortly after, serving life behind bars for the murder at Green Haven Correctional Facility, north of New York City.

“I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil, I knew it was wrong," Chapman told the board, three years ago. "But I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life”.