TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A man who confessed to killing three people and now wants to be released from an Ohio prison under a plea deal is due back in court.
FILE – In this March 8, 2018, file photo, convicted killer Nathaniel Cook leaves Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Toledo, Ohio. A judge plans to hold a hearing in Toledo on Thursday, April 19, when she could decide whether to release Cook. (Dave Zapotosky/The Blade via AP, File)
A judge plans to hold a hearing in Toledo on Thursday, when she could decide whether to release Nathaniel Cook.
Cook’s attorneys say a plea deal signed nearly 20 years ago says the court is bound to order his release this year.
The agreement forced Cook and his brother to confess to raping and killing young women during a string of eight murders in the 1980s.
Families of the victims say the confessions gave them needed answers, but they hope the judge will block Cook’s release.
They’ve written letters asking for Cook to stay in prison or be under strict controls if he’s released.
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