LOS ANGELES: Former Beatle John Lennon’s killer was denied parole for the fifth time on August 12, and will remain behind bars for at least two more years.

Mark David Chapman, 53, was denied parole from New York’s Attica Correctional Facility because his release “would not be in the best interest of the community” parole board members said in a statement.

Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono told the New York Daily News she had personally asked parole officials to deny Chapman’s request. “It’s dangerous for him to come out. Not only for us, but for himself.” Chapman will remain in Attica for at least two more years before becoming re-eligible for parole. He has served 27 years of a maximum life sentence, for the December 1980 killing of Lennon outside his Manhattan apartment building.