Nancy Lamprey, the Loudon babysitter who killed one child and injured five others in a 2000 car crash, has earned another chance at early release from prison. A judge has shortened her prison sentence by 10 years, making her eligible for parole now.

But that doesn't mean Lamprey will necessarily be freed immediately. The parole board has already denied Lamprey parole once and made clear then that it wants her incarcerated another five years.

It's the latest twist in a long and difficult legal case. Lamprey's lawyer and parole officials could not be reached last night for comment. Merrimack County Attorney Dan St. Hilaire, who leaves office in January, said if Lamprey gets a parole hearing during his watch the office will most likely object to her release.

Lamprey, 45, has served just more than 5½ years of the 15- to 30-year sentence she received in 2001 after being convicted of manslaughter and other charges. As part of her sentence, Judge Edward Fitzgerald said he'd let Lamprey out early if she came up with a comprehensive plan promoting safe driving.

Fitzgerald rejected Lamprey's first three requests for early release but finally granted her a chance at parole in 2007. He made his decision after deciding Lamprey had taken responsibility for her crime and had come up with a plan he liked.

Her victims and their families objected, and some of them told the parole board so when Lamprey sought parole in 2007. The parole board listened, rejected Lamprey's request and told her not to come to them again until she had served five more years behind bars.

Lamprey's attorney, Peter Callaghan, objected and asked Fitzgerald to go around the parole board by suspending all of Lamprey's remaining sentence, thereby excusing her from going before a parole board. The county objected.

When the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on Lamprey's sentence, Fitzgerald agreed to hear arguments from both in late 2007.

In a ruling released this week, Fitzgerald ruled again. And he again agreed to suspend the rest of Lamprey's minimum sentence, making her eligible for parole, but not the maximum sentence, meaning she still has to go before the parole board. The biggest change in the new sentence is a technical one: Fitzgerald rewrote it enough to comply with the state law in response to an objection raised by prosecutors.

It remains to be seen whether the parole board will handle any new request by Lamprey differently than it did her first request. If the state does parole Lamprey, Fitzgerald has required her to perform 300 hours of community service each of her first two years out and 200 hours each of the next three years.

She is also forbidden from identifying her victims during her community service or from having contact with the victims unless they initiate contact. A year into her parole, Lamprey must return to court for a review of her behavior.