John Lennon's Assassin Denied Parole

John Lennon's killer has been denied parole for a fourth time because of the "bizarre nature" of his crime.

Mark David Chapman, 51, must remain at Attica Correctional Facility in New York for at least two more years for gunning down the former Beatle outside his Manhattan apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980.

Chapman appeared before a three-member panel at Attica.

Following the 16-minute hearing, the board wrote a one-page decision, which said: "The panel remains concerned about the bizarre nature of this premeditated and violent crime."

It continued: "While the panel notes your satisfactory institutional adjustment, due to the extremely violent nature of the offense, your release would not be in the best interest of the community."

The decision came one day after what would have been Lennon's 66th birthday.

Chapman has been in prison for 25 years. He became eligible for release after serving 20 years of a maximum life sentence. His next appearance before the parole board will be in October 2008.

When Chapman killed Lennon, the 25-year-old with a history of mental illness did not even run away from the scene. Instead he stood alongside the Dakota building where Lennon lived with Yoko Ono, holding a copy of J.D. Salinger's novel "The Catcher In The Rye" and an LP Lennon had signed for him hours earlier.

In the months leading up to committing the murder Chapman had become increasingly angry at his former idol Lennon, believing he had turned into the worst kind of person, a "phoney." "Phoney" was a term repeatedly used by Salinger's anti-hero Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher In The Rye."

Chapman saw the former Beatle as a sellout who had betrayed the idealism of his youth, and resented his attitudes towards religion.