A 19-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his stepfather to death, then burned his body was indicted for murder by an O'ahu grand jury yesterday.

Timothy A. Adarna, 19, was indicted on one count of second-degree murder in the death of his stepfather, Robert Ramos, whose body was found Nov. 16 in the bedroom of his burned home on Kilipoe Street in 'Ewa Beach. Adarna also was indicted on a single count of first-degree arson.

Adarna is in custody, and his bail was set at $200,000. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday.

An autopsy determined that Ramos, 55, bled to death after being stabbed in the neck and struck on the head and chest with a blunt object. The cause of death was listed as a homicide, according to the report.

Adarna faces life in prison with the possibility of parole on the murder charge and up to 20 years on the arson charge, according to the city prosecutor's office.

Adarna's lawyer, Howard Luke, declined comment yesterday.

Neighbors told police that Ramos parked his truck at his home shortly before 10 a.m. on the day of the fire and ran into the house. They said they heard Ramos arguing with someone, then saw a man fitting Adarna's description come out of the house and ride away on a bicycle.

The fire was noticed a short time later. Fire investigators said an accelerant was used to start the blaze that began at 10:07 a.m.

According to a police document filed in District Court, homicide detective Ted Coons said the probable cause for Adarna's arrest on Nov. 30 was that he and his stepfather were at home when Adarna's mother, Marie Ramos, left for work at 8:10 a.m. on Nov. 16.

Coons said Ramos' body was covered with what appeared to be white paint and that small spots of what appeared to be white paint were recovered from Adarna's body during a meeting with police on Nov. 17.

The document said a knife with blood stains on the blade, clothing with blood and paint stains and a backpack with a receipt in Adarna's name were recovered from a trash can at a bus stop at the corner of Hanakahi and Hanaloa streets on the day of the fire.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.