Chapman first became eligible for parole in 2000 after serving twenty years in prison . Under New York state law , he is required to have a parole hearing every two years from that year onwards . Since that time , a three-member board has denied Chapman parole ten times . Shortly before Chapman 's first hearing , Yoko Ono sent a letter to the board requesting that he will not be released from prison . In addition , New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio , chairman of the Senate Crime Victims , Crime and Correction Committee , wrote to Parole Board Chairman Brion Travis saying : " It is the responsibility of the New York State Parole Board to ensure that public safety is protected from the release of dangerous criminals like Chapman . " John Hinckley tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan less than four months after Lennon 's murder , and police found a copy of '' Catcher in the Rye '' among his personal belongings . He left a cassette tape in his hotel room on which he stated that he mourned Lennon 's death : " One of my idols was murdered , and now Jodie Foster 's the only one left . " He added that " anything that I might do in 1981 would be solely for Jodie Foster 's sake . " Two biographical films center on Chapman and the murder :
tried to assassinate
Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
Mark David Chapman