John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman is awaiting a decision over whether he will finally be freed from prison after his eighth parole case this week (beg18Aug14).

Chapman was sentenced to 20-years-to-life behind bars for gunning down the Beatles legend outside his New York City home in December, 1980.

He has been eligible for parole since 2000 but has seen seven previous applications turned down due to the gravity of his offence and the ongoing public outrage over the murder.

His parole application went back before the New York state's review board this week (beg18Aug14), but Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has already written a letter to the officials laying out her objections and urging them to keep Chapman locked up.

The killer, 59, will find out his fate in the coming days, according to the New York Daily News. If he is denied parole, he will have to wait another two years for his next review.