By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — John Lennon's murderer will make his case for parole next week, with Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, once again opposing his release, the New York Daily News reported.
Mark David Chapman, 55, was convicted of assassinating Lennon outside of the Upper West Side's Dakota apartment building in 1980, and is currently serving 20 years to life in Attica state prison.
Next week's hearing will mark the sixth time that Mark David Chapman, has come up for parole, and the sixth time that Ono has sent a letter urging the parole board to deny his request, according to the News.
The board denied Chapman's last request for parole in 2008, citing the massive impact of his crime.
"Your conduct thus precipitated a horrendously tragic event which has impacted many individuals," the board wrote, according to Reuters.
"Your discretionary release at this time would thus not be compatible with the welfare of society at large, and would tend to deprecate the seriousness of the instant offense, and undermine respect for the law."
Despite the tragic scale of his crime, Chapman has had a clean prison record since 1994, performing janitorial tasks and assisting other inmates in the legal library, according to the News.
Still, a petition including 1,100 signatures and approximately 50 letters opposing Chapman's release helped sway the board's 2008 decision, Reuters said.
In her letter opposing his release, Ono said that she would fear for her safety if Chapman were back on the streets, the News reported.
"I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again," Ono wrote, according to the paper. "Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives."
