Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Jane Little says Chapman was interviewed by video conference 
 
 The man who killed John Lennon has been denied parole and will remain imprisoned for at least two more years, New York state officials have said. 
 
 Mark David Chapman, 55, was denied release for the sixth time following a video interview with a parole panel. 
 
 Chapman, who has a history of mental illness, pleaded guilty to shooting the former Beatle to death on the street outside his New York City home in 1980. 
 
 He is next eligible for a parole hearing in August 2012, officials said. 
 
 In a written statement, the parole board acknowledged his institutional record, but cited the "disregard" he showed "for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life" by carefully planning Lennon's murder. 
 
 "This premeditated, senseless and selfish act of tragic consequence... leads to the conclusion that your discretionary release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community," the New York state parole board wrote. ||||| John Lennon killer Mark David Chapman is denied parole for the sixth time 
 
 
 
 By Daily Mail Reporter 
 
 Last updated at 8:15 AM on 8th September 2010 
 
 The man who shot and killed Beatles star John Lennon almost thirty years ago has been denied parole - for the sixth time. 
 
 Mark David Chapman shot Lennon outside the musician's apartment in Manhattan, New York on December 8, 1980. 
 
 The now 55-year-old Chapman was interviewed at the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility in New York, where he is currently in prison. 
 
 
 
 Happiness Is A Warm Gun: Mark David Chapman was convicted of murdering John Lennon in December 1980 in New York 
 
 Forever Young: Chapman shown in 1975, five years before he murdered Lennon outside of the Beatles star's apartment 
 
 Chapman sent shockwaves around the world when he murdered Lennon, the English singer-songwriter who, with Paul McCartney, formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. 
 
 Lennon was only 40 years old when Chapman, then 25, initially asked him for his autograph - only to later fatally shoot him four times in the back. 
 
 The former maintanance man, who is serving a sentence of 20 years to life, has been denied parole every two years since becoming eligible in 2000. 
 
 Jealous Guy: Mark David Chapman had gained John Lennon's autograph on December 8, 1980, before shooting him four times in the back in New York 
 
 Chapman was originally scheduled to appear at a parole hearing last month, but the hearing was postponed. 
 
 The last time Chapman was up for parole, in 2008, the New York State Division of Parole issued a release saying his request was denied 'due to concern for the public safety and welfare'. 
 
 
 
 He has served 29 years of his sentence at the Attica Correctional Facility, where he is held in a building with other prisoners who are not considered to pose a threat to him, according to officials. 
 
 Texan-born Chapman has his own prison cell but spends most of his day working on housekeeping and in the library, the officials said. 
 
 For the past 20 years he has been allowed conjugal visits with his wife, Gloria. 
 
 The visits are part of a state program called 'family reunion' that allows inmates to spend up to 44 hours at a time with family members in a special setting. 
 
 Inmates must meet certain criteria to receive the privilege. 
 
 Chapman has not had an infraction since 1994, said Erik Kriss, spokesman for the Department of Corrections said last month. 
 
 'He goes about his business, doing his prison job and without any fanfare,' Kriss said. 
 
 Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in previous years has submitted a letter requesting that parole be denied. 
 
 
 

– It's been 30 years since John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York apartment, and in that time his killer has applied for parole six times. Once again, his plea for release has been rejected. Mark Chapman, now 55, was given a 20-years-to-life sentence for the December 1980 murder of the former Beatle. The Daily Mail reports that the New York State Parole Board declared that Chapman will remain in maximum security at Attica until at least August 2012. "This premeditated, senseless and selfish act of tragic consequence... leads to the conclusion that your discretionary release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community," said the board, according to the BBC. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has in past years spoken out against Chapman's release.