THE MAN accused of murdering Yannick Cupido sent a text message saying he would kill him hours before he fatally stabbed him, a court has heard.

O’Neal Joseph, 28, of Amersham Road, Caversham, killed Cupido just after midnight on February 14, 2021, but denies his murder.

The two became embroiled in a row after Cupido played a prank on Joseph, falsely telling him their mutual friend Reece Weatherburn had been jailed for stabbing someone.

READ MORE: Everything the prosecution said about the killing of Yannick Cupido

Weatherburn — who is also standing trial for assisting an offender — had entertained Cupido at his flat on Saturday, February 13 where they drank cider and vodka.

Cupido had initially text Weatherburn’s ex-partner telling her his friend had been arrested, before she text Joseph about the rumour.

Joseph tried to call Weatherburn but his inability to reach him made him ‘angry and frustrated’ and this led to him sending a flurry of heated messages on his phone.

A message to Cupido read: “On my kids life if something happens to r1 [a nickname for Weatherburn] and you just hung up on me and didn’t tell me where he is I’m going to fucking kill you yk."

In one text, Joseph messaged Weatherburn’s ex-partner to tell him he would ‘f****** kill’ him because he was ‘talking s***’.

Cupido left Weatherburn’s address at 11.30pm and Joseph had left his partner’s house with a large kitchen knife.

The 24-year-old messaged Joseph, saying: “F*** you bruv, don’t ever phone again or text me you’d kill me yeah, keep dat energy when you see me."

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Cupido headed from Reading towards Lower Caversham where he was intercepted by Joseph, a court heard.

They met outside the Best One shop on Nire Road where the pair argued and Cupido allegedly headbutted Joseph.

Joseph then stabbed him in the chest with the kitchen knife he had brought him -- something the prosecution said the accused accepted.

Cupido ran off down Managua Close, but collapsed shortly because of his injury.

In a voice note to an ex-girlfriend, Joseph told the woman he “shanked” Cupido because he headbutted him and he ‘bust his lip’.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said: “The first defendant O’Neal Joseph fatally stabbed Mr Cupido. He accepts doing that.

"When stabbing him he was using a large kitchen knife which he had taken to the scene. Mr Joseph says he was defending himself.

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"Mr Joseph is charged with murdering Mr Cupido. The prosecution case is that he was extremely angry with Cupido.

"He took a knife out of the house and he went to find him. He then stabbed him to the left upper chest.

"He had no reason to have that knife out with him, other than to use it to confront Cupido. He has already pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing that knife.

“The prosecution case is that there was no self-defence and his killing, the fatal stabbing, amounts to murder."

The prosecution said Weatherburn, 22, of Nire Road, Caversham, helped Joseph in the aftermath of the stabbing and assisted him. He denies two charges of assisting an offender.

The trial was meant to start on Monday, October 11, but only commenced on Tuesday (October 26) following delays caused by legal arguments and one defendant, Reece Weatherburn, contracting coronavirus.

The trial continues.