John Lennon’s killer sorry for being ‘an idiot’
This May 15, 2012 photo provided by the New York State Department of Corrections shows Mark David Chapman at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y. Chapman, John LennonÕs imprisoned killer, says he still gets letters about the pain he has caused. Chapman was denied release during his eighth appearance before a parole board in August 2014, according to the transcript released by New York state corrections officials, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. (AP Photo/New York State Department of Corrections, File)
BUFFALO, N.Y. >> John Lennon’s imprisoned killer says he still gets letters about the pain he has caused.
Mark David Chapman, a former Honolulu resident, was denied release during his eighth appearance before a parole board last week.
New York state corrections officials on Wednesday released the transcript from the hearing at the Wende Correctional Facility.
Chapman told the parole board he’s sorry for "being such an idiot" and seeking notoriety the way he did.
Chapman fired five shots on Dec. 8, 1980, outside the Dakota apartment house where Lennon lived on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, striking the ex-Beatle four times.
Chapman was sentenced in 1981 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He will be eligible again for parole in two years.
Chapman came to Hawaii about 1977 and worked at Castle Medical Center from August that year until November 1979, starting in housekeeping and moving into the community relations office. Supervisors and co-workers said he was "an all-around good guy" and "an excellent employee."
In June 1979, Chapman married Gloria H. Abe.
He left Castle to work in December 1979 as a security guard and maintenance worker at a Waikiki condominium at 444 Nahua. He resigned Oct. 23, 1980 — signing John Lennon instead of Mark Chapman on the log the last day he worked.
