BY Boston Globe,

A former Jamestown town council member has made his first court appearance on Tortola since being charged with the murder of his wife during a scuba diving trip in 1999.

more stories like thisDavid Swain returned to the Caribbean island this week after waiving extradition in Providence last month.

The Providence Journal reports that Swain appeared Thursday before a magistrate in Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands. No plea was entered and, by law, Swain was held without bail until his next scheduled appearance in April.

The 52-year-old scuba shop owner has maintained his innocence.

Caribbean authorities initially said they considered Shelley Tyre's death accidental. The investigation was reopened after a civil jury in Providence found Swain responsible for Tyre's death.

----------------------------------------------------------------------