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PHOENIX - A man who has spent nearly four decades in prison for the deaths of two people in a Phoenix suburb is set for a change of plea hearing Wednesday.

Bill Macumber was convicted in the 1962 deaths of Joyce Sterrenberg and Tim McKillop in the open desert of north Scottsdale, but he has maintained his innocence.

The Justice Project has been advocating for his release in recent years, saying no DNA evidence links Macumber to the crimes and that another man had confessed to the killings.

The state's clemency board had recommended that Gov. Jan Brewer reduce Macumber's life sentence in 2009, but she denied that. When Macumber's case came before the board again earlier this year, it did not recommend commutation.

Macumber is now 77 years old.