John Lennon Murderer Mark David Chapman’s Latest Mugshot Revealed As He Faces 10th Parole Hearing

If you couldn’t see the height chart backdrop, you might think the parole photo of Mark David Chapman was the slightly blurry selfie of the man with crazy eyes you would definitely avoid sitting next to at the bar.

But instead, the Mirror has given us the most recent mugshot of the man who notoriously murdered John Lennon, co-founder of the Beatles, 38 years ago. The mugshot was taken on January 31 of this year, and it’s the first glimpse we’ve had of the man in about six years. Chapman is facing his 10th parole hearing since that fateful night of December 8, 1980, when he shot the beloved musician.

In the image, Chapman’s face appears to be noticeably thinner than the last time a photographed surfaced. His hearing will be held this week, according to the Mirror, although whatever decision is reached may not be announced for several days or possibly longer.

Chapman is now 63, and at his sentencing received a verdict of 20 years to life in the Wende Correctional Facility in western New York. He has been denied parole nine times since he first became eligible for parole hearings in 2000.

Chapman, who had struggled with mental illness and admitted to having an obsession with Lennon, said he heard voices urging him to “do it.” On the day of the murder, Lennon, then 40, and Chapman had previously interacted. Lennon signed an autograph for Chapman as he was leaving his home in the Dakota apartment building to head to a recording session with his wife, Yoko Ono. After returning from the recording session later that night, Chapman approached yet again, this time shooting the singer in front of Ono and others. After the killing, Chapman sat down on a nearby curb and read a copy of the book The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested.

The New York Daily News reports that Ono, now 85, “has sent a letter every time Chapman has gone before the board asking that he be kept locked up not only for the safety of her and the slain Beatle’s two sons, but also for Chapman’s, who she said could be at risk of harm from still-angry Lennon fans.”

Last week, the Inquisitr reported that fans were gathering in Strawberry Fields, a Central Park memorial to the singer across the street from the Dakota, to protest the killer’s possible release.

The parole board has repeatedly refused Chapman’s requests for parole based on what it has called “the premeditated and celebrity seeking nature of the crime.”