The Birmingham man accused of murdering a family of three was described by a friend as being "his usual cheery self" just hours before the execution-style killing.
Pierre Williams allegedly murdered his former girlfriend Beverley Samuels, 36, and her children Kesha Wizzart, 18, and Fred Wizzart, 13, by bludgeoning them to death in the early hours of July 12 last year.
They died at the family home in Thelwall Avenue, Fallowfield, Manchester, after being struck with a 2lb engineer's hammer.
Beverley and Kesha were also both sexually assaulted. Just hours before the deaths, the 33-year-old defendant was socialising with two female friends in Manchester's gay village.
His friend Donna Cole told Manchester Crown Court yesterday that she met up with Williams at The New Union Pub shortly before midnight on July 11 last year.
They had not seen each other for about 18 months but Williams "was his usual cheery self", she said.
Her friend Claire Doyle described Williams' demeanour as being "really happy" on that night, the jury heard.
The family were murdered between 3.30am and 7.30am on July 12, the prosecution allege.
The jury previously heard that Williams, from Selly Oak, Birmingham, raped and violated Beverley, a nurse, before killing her by raining down at least seven blows to her head. Kesha had her hands tied behind her back with a black bra before she was killed the same way.
She was found face down, naked, with a pair of knickers on her head, and had been sexually assaulted. She was preparing to study for a law degree, and had sung on the ITV talent show Young Stars in Their Eyes.
