John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman feels 'more and more shame' every year

Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon, has confessed to feeling ''more and more shame'' over his actions.

Chapman, who shot the Beatles legend outside his Manhattan apartment in December 1980, made his tenth unsuccessful bid for parole in August and a transcript of the hearing has now been released by New York prison officials, reported the Independent.

Chapman, 63, is serving 20 years to life in the Wende Correctional Facility in New York.

"Thirty years ago I couldn't say I felt shame and I know what shame is now. It's where you cover your face, you don't want to, you know, ask for anything," he said.

 

Chapman told parole board members he still thinks about how Lennon was "incredible" to him earlier that day. He said he had been going through an internal "tug of war" of whether to go ahead with the shooting.

"I was too far in. I do remember having the thought of, 'Hey, you have got the album now. Look at this, he signed it, just go home.' But there was no way I was just going to go home," he added.

Chapman claimed he felt no animosity for Lennon, even though he loaded his gun with more lethal hollow-point bullets.

"I secured those bullets to make sure he would be dead. It was immediately after the crime that I was concerned that he did not suffer."

In its decision, the board of parole said releasing Chapman would not only "tend to mitigate the seriousness of your crime" but also endanger public safety because someone might try to harm him out of anger, revenge or to gain notoriety.

Chapman will be up for parole again in August 2020.