One of Australia's most notorious killers Erin Patterson could walk free from prison as an elderly woman after a judge gave the triple-murderer a chance at release.

The 50-year-old kept her eyes closed during much of today's sentencing as a court heard her calculated plan to kill four members of her extended family and the lies she told as she tried to cover up the crimes.

But she stared straight ahead as she was given hope of being released while serving three concurrent life sentences.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale rejected prosecutors' request that she be denied any chance of freedom, sentencing her to a non-parole period of 33 years due to the harsh conditions she faced in custody.

With time already served, Patterson could be back in the community at the age

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