A 19-year-old man accused of attempted murder likely will be indicted on an amended charge of second-degree murder after the death Sunday of his uncle, who had been hospitalized since Feb. 3 with critical injuries suffered in a beating.

Lt. Bill Kato, supervisor of Honolulu police homicide investigations, said an autopsy performed yesterday on 51-year-old Dennis Tamayose determined he died of blunt trauma to the head from a beating.

A police affidavit filed Feb. 6 at District Court charging 19-year-old Chad Nishihira with attempted murder noted that police were sent to 540 Kuli'ou'ou Road at 2:10 p.m. to investigate a report of two men fighting. When they arrived, officers found an unconscious Tamayose lying face down in the grass, bleeding from the head and face.

According to police, Nishihira was standing nearby and "... looked like he was mad, breathing heavily and had a thousand-yard stare."

Police saw Nishihira approach Tamayose and kick him in the upper torso, the report said.

Tamayose was taken to The Queen's Medical Center with serious bodily injuries that a physician noted posed "a substantial risk of death due to a brain injury and respiratory failure."

Nishihira was released Feb. 14 after posting a $100,000 bond.