Reading murder trial: Prankster, 24, was stabbed to death on Valentine Day after joke text | UK | News
Yannick Cupido was killed outside a license near Reading as he ran into a nearby alley after being stabbed in the chest. He was seen standing up before reaching his mother’s house. O’Neal Joseph, 28, appears at Reading Crown Court after being charged with murder. The court heard Mr Cupido and his friend Reece Weatherburn sent hoax messages to Weatherburn’s former partner Mollie Brookes on February 13 saying she was detained by police in connection with a stabbing.
The jury heard that Mr Cupido, 24, joined Mr Weatherburn at his flat in Reading that evening.
Matthew Walsh, prosecuting, said O’Neal, as a friend of Weatherburn, saw the messages and did not question their accuracy.
He told the court: “Joseph became increasingly frustrated throughout the evening, particularly when he could not reach Weatherburn or Mr Cupido.
“Finding out the fact that this was a joke appears to have been the catalyst for an argument and an exchange of angry messages between her and Mr Cupido when she eventually contacted him on the phone.
READ MORE: Student found dead in university dormitories
Jurors later saw on CCTV the moment Joseph stabbed Mr Cupido, who fled the scene after the stabbing.
Mr Cupido’s mother, who was present at the hearing, was escorted out of the courtroom when she saw footage of her son falling to the ground after being attacked with a knife.
Joseph admitted stabbing Mr. Cupido but claimed it was in self-defense. He denies murder but has previously admitted possessing a bladed article in a public place.
Mr Walsh told the court: “They have been together for about two and a half minutes. They are both clearly animated and there is movement.
“It appears that Mr Cupido, who was stabbed at the end of the incident, dropped an item into the gutter.
“Mr Cupido, who was stabbed in the chest at 12.33pm, appears to be heading towards Managua Close.
‘He appears to have fallen to the ground. Although the paramedics who arrived at the scene a short time later did their best, Mr Cupido was rapidly heading towards death from then on.’
Following the incident, Joseph sent a message to his ex-partner: “As soon as he said ‘what’ to me I grabbed a handle and when he said ‘what yes’ he left what happened, boom, I pulled the handle BLOAH straight towards his chest.”
The trial continues.
