A 31-year-old man accused of killing his uncle made his initial court appearance Thursday at District Court.

Thomas K. Arakaki stood before Judge Russel Nagata Friday after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Stanley Yamada, 53.

Arakaki remains in custody in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Police arrested him Tuesday night at Yamada’s home on Hoohonua Street in Pearl City after they found Yamada unresponsive in the residence with suspicious injuries.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of Yamada’s death was blunt force injuries to his head and torso. The manner of death was classified as a homicide.

Yamada was a ramp chief agent with Hawaiian Airlines. A video posted on social media showed his co-workers draping lei on his cart at Daniel K. Ino­uye International Airport in the wake of his death.

He lived at the Pearl City home with his mother. Neighbors said Arakaki visited the home every now and then.

According to court documents, police arrived at the Yamadas’ home Tuesday night to conduct a welfare check after his girlfriend notified police that she had not heard from him since the night before and that he didn’t show up to work that day.

A police officer found a male later identified as Yamada lying on a bedroom floor covered with blankets. When the officer lifted one of the blankets, he saw Yamada lifeless with suspicious injuries to the back of his head.

When three officers detained Arakaki, who was in the home at the time Yamada was found in the residence, police said Arakaki told them, “I was only defending myself.”

Police said he then allegedly told an officer who was escorting him out of the residence, “I had to kill him because he was going to grab a gun and shoot me. I punched him and finished him off with a bat.”

Court records show Arakaki had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has a history of marijuana use.