Joran van der Sloot Update: Peruvian judge sets May hearing for US extradition request

(CBS/AP) LIMA, Peru - A Peruvian judge has set a May 8 hearing to consider a U.S. request to extradite convicted killer Joran van der Sloot so he can be tried for extortion in connection with the unsolved disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalie Holloway in 2005.

Pictures: Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores

Lima's Superior Court says that after the hearing the case will go to Peru's Supreme Court, then to the council of ministers.

Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence in Peru for killing Stephany Flores, a woman he met in a Lima casino.

The 24-year-old also faces extortion charges in Alabama for allegedly receiving $25,000 from Holloway's mother to tell her where to find the remains of her daughter, who was 18 when she disappeared while on vacation in Aruba.

Attorney Maximo Altez said Monday that the U.S. extradition request "is in the process of being evaluated" by Peruvian authorities.

Altez also says his client fears extradition because U.S. prisons have a reputation for being "very hard" on inmates.

Complete coverage of Joran van der Sloot on Crimesider