Dean Jay Fletcher was arrested in Tonga in July for the murder but in September he escaped police custody on Vava’u.
The 54 year-old then fled the country on his yacht, eventually arriving in American Samoa, where he was arrested.
The District Court of American Samoa dismissed a misdemeanor charge of entering the territory without authorization.
However, Fletcher was last week handed over to federal authorities, who transferred him to Honolulu to face the extradition process back to Tonga.
A detention hearing was held Friday afternoon at the Honolulu Federal Court, where Fletcher was determined a flight risk and danger to the community, and was remanded in custody.
A United States attorney, Larry Butrick, said Fletcher posed a real risk as he is accused of bludgeoning his wife to death on his boat in full view of multiple witnesses.
Fletcher’s extradition hearing will be heard on January 10, where the Honolulu federal district court would determine if Tonga had complied with requirements for Fletcher’s extradition.
The United States and Tonga have had an extradition treaty since 1931, which was amended in 1977, according to federal court documents.
