A man who confessed to a string of rapes and murders with his brother and now wants to be released from an Ohio prison is due back in court.

Attorneys for Nathaniel Cook say a plea deal signed nearly 20 years ago forces the court to order his release this year. A judge plans to hold a hearing Thursday in Toledo, when she could decide whether to free Cook.

The judge has ordered Cook to undergo evaluations, but she said last month that more information was needed before she could make a decision about his release.

An agreement with prosecutors two decades ago forced Nathaniel Cook to admit he killed three people while his brother confessed to killing five others in the 1980s. His brother is serving two life sentences.