John Lennon's killer denied parole for an 11th time

[thucythucy]

19. Do you really think so?

I wonder.

Here is a man who committed cold blooded premeditated murder. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing. He purchased a weapon, procured ammunition intended to cause maximum pain and damage, and then traveled cross-country with the express purpose of murdering someone whom he'd never met and had never done him any harm. He spent days stalking his victim, including interacting with the victim's child. He even interacted with his intended victim, who by his own account was gracious and friendly toward him, only hours before the murder.

He then waited in front of the victim's home, and shot the man multiple times, in the back, at near point blank range, in front of his wife. Aside from the victim's wife there were others in the immediate vicinity who might well have been wounded or even killed. All of this showed a calculated, and absolutely callous disregard for human life.

There's more. After being imprisoned he made attempts to contact the widow, so much so that she has testified at previous hearings that she would fear for her life and the life of her child if he were ever to be released. He has granted interviews, appeared on TV, had his story told in at least one movie, and all in all seems to have reveled in accomplishing his undoubted goal: to become famous by killing someone famous.

Charles Manson was sentenced to life, and he never actually killed anyone. Sirhan Sirhan was never paroled, and had he not been murdered by another inmate I doubt if David Berkowitz would ever have received parole either.

BTW Chapman is now at what I'm told is a medium security facility (definitely not Attica) and is allowed conjugal visits with his wife.