Dinush Kurera, 47, blinked and looked straight ahead as Victorian Supreme Court Justice Amanda Fox handed down his sentence on Thursday morning.
He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
A jury rejected Dinush Kurera's story that he acted in self-defence. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)
Kurera claimed he was acting in self-defence when he repeatedly stabbed his wife Nelomie Perera with an axe and knife at her Melbourne home on December 3, 2022.
But a jury rejected his story and in August found him guilty of murder after only three hours of deliberations.
Justice Fox described the fatal attack as brutal and horrific, saying Kurera had clearly been in a rage.
"You were motivated by anger and saw everything of the prism of entitlement and ownership," she said in her sentence.
"In your mind, Nelomie deserved to be killed for leaving you, excluding you from your house and seeing other men."
Kurera's teenage children witnessed the attack and his 16-year-old daughter even tried to stop him as he grabbed a knife.
Both children gave evidence at trial and described in victim impact statements how distressing the court process was.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
32°C