The killer, now 59, gunned down the ex-Beatle outside his New York apartment as he and wife Yoko Ono were returning home from a recording session. He was later handed a sentence of 20 years to life.

The three-man parole board noted that Ono had once again sent a letter asking that Chapman was not released - but that, along with others letters supporting her position, they'd also received notes from those who believed he should be granted freedom.