CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) – A man accused in the grisly 1979 torture slaying of an 8-year-old boy made his initial court hearing Friday hours after the victim’s stepmother watched as he was returned to Indiana to face murder charges.

In Friday’s hearing, a judge entered a not guilty plea for David B. Bowen, 44, and set another hearing for Jan. 8. At that time, a defense attorney might be appointed for Bowen, said Carolyn Rogers, a spokeswoman for the Lake County prosecutor’s office.

Kevin Joyce, the Maine attorney appointed to represent Bowen in the extradition matter, said Bowen planned to fight the murder charge in the October 1979 slaying of Kenneth Conrick.

Bowen arrived at the Lake County Jail on Thursday night after being extradited from Maine. Bowen, wearing paint-splattered jeans and work boots and wrapped in a tan outdoor work jacket, did not speak as officers led him in handcuffs and shackles.

Conrick’s stepmother, Barbara Conrick, stood with two other women and showed little reaction as the car carrying Bowen arrived at the jail and officers took him inside. She and the other women then wept together, gasping, hugging and muffling sobs with their hands.

Barbara Conrick was not allowed to talk with Bowen and she declined to speak with a reporter, The Times of Munster reported.

Bowen, who was arrested Tuesday at an inn outside Kingfield, Maine, where he worked, was being held without bond Friday.

Kenneth Conrick’s nude body was found bound to a tree on Oct. 28, 1979, following a 13-day search, in a wooded area near his family’s Gary home. A cord had been tied around his neck, and his body showed signs of brutal, prolonged torture, authorities said.

Bowen, then 16, emerged as a suspect, but no physical evidence linked him to the crime until investigators reopened the case three years ago. Authorities located Bowen’s sister and took a DNA sample from her that showed enough similarities to genetic material found at the scene to link Bowen himself to the crime.

Bowen surrendered a DNA sample to Lake County investigators months ago, and investigators said it matched DNA taken from Conrick’s clothing.

Barbara Conrick was allowed to witness Bowen’s arrival because she wants “closure,” said Sheriff Rogelio Dominguez.

“She pleaded with our officers for special permission,” Dominguez said. “I could not refuse such a request.”

Bowen moved more than 20 years ago to Maine, where he married and worked as a house painter. He had convictions on charges ranging from drunken driving to felony robbery in the 1980s and early 1990s.