Man held in slaying of stepdad, setting of fire

Police say specks of white paint helped investigators link a 19-year-old man to the killing of his stepfather, whose stabbed and burned body was found after an Ewa Beach house fire.

Timothy Adarna surrendered to police Thursday night and was charged yesterday with second-degree murder and first-degree arson.

The city deputy medical examiner found that the body of Robert Ramos appeared to have had "a white shade of what appeared to be paint poured on his body and had suffered multiple sharp-force injuries," according to a police affidavit.

When detectives interviewed Adarna on Nov. 17, a day after the fire, they noticed small spots of white paint on his body that appeared to match the paint on Ramos' body, the affidavit said.

Ramos bled to death from stab wounds to the neck and had multiple stab wounds to his head and back, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Adarna and Ramos were at their 91-623 Kilipoe St. home when Marie Ramos, Adarna's mother, left for work at 8:10 a.m. on Nov. 16, said the affidavit, adding that Adarna was seen with his bicycle shortly after the fire was reported.

A neighbor saw someone leave the house on a bicycle when the smoke alarm sounded, and fire and smoke were seen coming from the master bedroom. The neighbor assumed it was Adarna because he was the only one with a bicycle at the home, according to the affidavit.

Adarna was spotted at a bus stop with his bicycle several blocks from the scene. From a trash can at the bus stop, police recovered a knife with bloodstains, clothing with what looked like blood and paint stains, and a backpack containing a receipt with Adarna's name on it.

Neighbors had said Adarna argued with his stepfather and that they had had a strained relationship. But Ramos tried to be a father to Adarna, a relative had said.

On June 17, Adarna became the subject of a negligent-homicide investigation after his 22-year-old brother, Donald Tessier, was killed in an accident. Adarna ran a red light while driving a pickup truck with seven passengers, and Tessier was thrown from the bed of the truck. He died at the hospital.

Adarna remained in custody last night. Bail was set at $200,000. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.