The northern Iowa man who’s accused of killing his wife and kidnapping their son has been extradited to Iowa from South Dakota. Thirty-nine-year-old Thomas Petersen made his initial court appearance at the Butler County Courthouse in Allison this morning.

Petersen was brought back to Iowa on Thursday from South Dakota, where he’s been held since June 5th after being arrested near the town of Kadoka. Petersen is charged with first-degree murder in the June 4th stabbing death of his wife Judy Petersen in Greene. Authorities say he fled to South Dakota with the couple’s two-year-old son.

A South Dakota judge signed an extradition order last week, clearing the way for Petersen to be returned to Iowa.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City