Story highlights He was last up for parole in 2010 but was told that to release him would be "inappropriate"

Chapman, 57, is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison

He gunned down John Lennon in Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980

Mark David Chapman, the man convicted of killing former Beatle John Lennon, has been denied parole for a seventh time, according to the New York Department of Corrections.

He was last up for parole in 2010, when he was told his "discretionary release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community," according to the state's Division of Parole.

He was also denied parole in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

Chapman, 57, is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison and is being held at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden.

He is in protective custody in a single-person cell, corrections spokeswoman Carole Claren-Weaver said, and is allowed out three hours per day.

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Since his transfer from Attica this year, Chapman has reapplied to participate in a state program called "family reunion," which allows inmates to spend more time with family members.

Chapman has not had an infraction since 1994. It is not clear whether he currently has legal representation.

The British singer-songwriter Lennon was gunned down outside his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980.