John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, is due to have a parole hearing as early as Tuesday, officials have revealed.
New York Department of Corrections spokeswoman Linda Foglia said the 57-year-old was scheduled to be interviewed by members of the parole board this week.
A decision is likely to be made on whether to free Chapman - who is up for parole for the seventh time - by Thursday or Friday.
Chapman shot Lennon in December 1980 outside the Manhattan apartment building where the former Beatle lived.
He was sentenced in 1981 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Chapman was transferred in May from the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York to the nearby Wende Correctional Facility.
Both are maximum security. The prison system does not disclose why inmates are transferred.
Chapman was denied parole for the sixth time in September 2010.
