Soul Slayer
Mark David Chapman Rejected Early Release
Some crime is so hideous the perpetrator will never leave the confines of prison in their lifetime. Charles Manson comes up. So does Chapman. On December 7, 1980, John Lennon was returning to the Dakota, the high rise luxury apartment building he lived at in New York. Chapman shot him five times in the back. Recently, Chapman became a candidate for parole, for the sixth time. His request for parole was denied. It isn’t as though he has any followers out there. Few people would like to determine him go free.
Early release refused for Chapman
Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life, as outlined by ABC. His sentence, for the murder of Lennon, began in 1981. His first attempt at early release, in 2000, was not successful. He was eligible for early release again this year, which he has been each second year after his first instance of eligibility. For the sixth time, his parole was not granted. The early release board did not believe the best interests of the community would be served by his release. There has always been vociferous opposition to him being of course parole, especially by Yoko Ono, the late John Lennon’s wife.
Catcher in no correct intellect
Mark David Chapman has, for a long time, been obsessed with the J.D. Salinger novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”. The book, and the primary character Holden Caulfield, were claimed by Chapman to be the prime motivations for why he murdered one of the Beatles, and one of the greatest popular music figures of all time. The focus point of the book is the angst of Caulfield. He is disillusioned with the phoniness he finds in social institutions and adult life. The book is associated with more than one assassin, though it has always been a popular work that is still required reading in some schools. John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, was also a fan of the book. Chapman is considered to have mental health issues which are significant, so it’s not as if a normal individual will be driven to kill by reading this book.
Perhaps for the best
Mark David Chapman’s crime was one of probably the most infamous incidents of the last 30 years. As outlined by CNN, the parole board was not happy with Chapman’s state of mind. That is certainly a good reason not to parole him. He is up for parole again in August of 2012.
Further reading
CNN
cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/07/new.york.chapman.parole.hearing/index.html
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11580349