

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley.



JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) -- Three men convicted of killing three 8-year-old boys in Arkansas are due in court for a hearing that could end with their release from custody after nearly two decades in prison.



The father of one of the victims and a person familiar with the case tell The Associated Press a plea deal is in the works for Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin.



The men, known as the West Memphis Three, have been incarcerated since they were arrested in the 1993 deaths of three young Cub Scouts. The boys' naked bodies were found in a West Memphis ditch. Echols was sentenced to death. Misskelley and Baldwin were ordered to spend the rest of their lives in prison.



Defense attorneys, celebrities and legal experts have said the men are innocent.



