Lennon's killer denied parole again

A parole board decided not to release Mark David Chapman after

interviewing him at Attica Correctional Facility in New York.

It was Chapman's sixth appearance before the board since becoming

eligible for parole in 2000. He will be eligible again in 2012.

Chapman, 55, had been scheduled to appear last month, but the hearing was postponed by parole officials, who said at the time they were awaiting additional information. They did not elaborate.

Among those who have opposed his release is Lennon's 77-year-old widow, Yoko Ono, who said last month that she believed Chapman was a potential threat to her family.

The former maintenance man from Hawaii was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after firing five shots outside Lennon's Manhattan building on December 8, 1980, hitting him four times in front of his wife and others.

At his last parole hearing, in 2008, Chapman told the panel he was ashamed and sorry for what he had done.