Serial killer Reginald Arthurell released from prison

Outback killer serial killer Reginald Arthurell has been released from prison after 26 years behind bars.

The triple-killer walked out of Sydney's Long Bay jail this morning after the NSW Parole Authority concluded last month it was the "only viable option".

That's because, the maximum sentence for the murder expired in seven months time.

But by releasing him on parole, the authority can exercise strict supervision over Arthurell.

If he was released after his jail term expired, he would be completely unsupervised.

Arthurell had been on parole when he bludgeoned fiancée Venet Mulhall to death in 1997 in the NSW country town of Coonabarabran.

Arthurell had moved in with Ms Mulhall, who was deeply religious, after he was released on parole in 1991.

She had become his pen pal while he'd been serving time in a Darwin prison.

Her brother Paul Quinn, found her decomposing body in the house the couple shared.

"He was born a psychopath and he'll be a psychopath all his life," Mr Quinn told A Current Affair.

"I know exactly what he did and the brutality he showed and the callousness and how he left the crime scene."

Arthurell's record includes jail time for two unrelated manslaughters.

In 1974, he spent four and a half years in jail for stabbing his stepfather Tom Thornton.

Arthurell also spent six years inside for the bashing of 19-year-old sailor Ross Browning.

Ms Mulhall's family had pushed for Arthurell to remain behind bars, but their pleas were unsuccessful.

Ms Mulhall's brother Paul Quinn said he had serious concerns for his family's safety because of Arthurell's release.

"It comes back to victim's rights," he told 2GB.

"We have to look over our shoulder for the rest of our lives."

In a statement last month, the State Parole Authority (SPA) noted that Arthurell had been refused parole four times since he became eligible in 2015.

The refusal came at the recommendation of the Serious Offenders Review Council, the body tasked with managing criminals like Arthurell.

"Following a public review hearing today and after consideration of all the available evidence, the SPA determined supervision on parole, rather than no supervision at the end of sentence in May 2021, was the better option for the protection of the community," the statement read.

The council advised parole was now appropriate because they considered it "imperative" that Arthurell be supervised "for as long as possible".