A Victorian man accused of killing his neighbour after an alcohol-fuelled dispute told emergency services that it looked like he was the culprit.
Clive Whyte has pleaded not guilty to murdering his neighbour Martin Bebbington weeks before Christmas in 2020.
Both men had issues with alcoholism, and struck up a friendship that involved drinking together. They moved into a unit block in Alexandra, in northeast Victoria, a few months apart in 2018 and 2019.
They drank together on December 6, the night before Mr Bebbington died, and into the early hours of the following morning.
About 1.30am Mr Bebbington called triple zero.
"Hey buddy, I need an ambulance here now," he told the operator.
"I don't know what he's going to do, he's got a knife with him."
Mr Bebbington was heard to scream four times and drop the phone. He breathed heavily for a time and then stopped.
Prosecutor Ray Gibson told Whyte's murder trial that the accused killer then got on the phone and called the operator "brain dead" and a "dickhead".
"He's dead meat," Whyte said. "Dead dead dead duh."
When the operator asked what happened Whyte replied "who care's what happened, he's dead. Are you f***ing brain dead or what?"
Whyte told the operator that Mr Bebbington had been bashing him and he retaliated.
"We had a big argument where unfortunately now he's dead," Whyte said.
"There's no saving him unless we've got God himself making a f***ing near miracle."
A police officer joined the call and asked Whyte for details.
"It looks bad. My friend is dead, we've both been drinking so it looks like I'm the culprit or f***ing whatever," Whyte said.
Mr Gibson alleged Whyte deliberately killed Mr Bebbington.
The 60-year-old victim was stabbed once in the right side of his chest, twice in the front of his chest and twice beneath the chin.
He also suffered a fractured ankle and was found to have no defensive wounds, the court heard.
The Victorian Supreme Court trial before Justice Amanda Fox is continuing.
