ALBANY – John Lennon’s killer will come up for parole in October for a second time, The Post has learned.
Mark David Chapman, serving 20 years to life in upstate Attica prison, was denied early release two years ago.
And experts say his chances haven’t improved much in the past two years, despite a clean prison record.
Parole Division spokesman Tom Grant said Chapman’s parole hearing will likely be held the second week of October.
Grant would not classify Chapman’s chances of release, saying the parole board considers a number of factors, including the nature of the crime, the inmate’s prison record, and the impact on the victim’s family and the community if he is released.
But one state official said “it’s very unlikely” Chapman will be paroled.
Robert Gangi, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, a prisoners’-rights group, agreed, saying high-profile criminals don’t usually get paroled, mainly for political reasons.
“No chance,” Gangi said of Chapman. “Conceivably, many years in the future when the murder of John Lennon is a distant memory.”
Chapman said two years ago that he did not deserve to be paroled, although he caused a stir by telling a reporter that the liberal Lennon would want him released from prison if he were alive.