A 35-year-old man has appeared in court charged with two murders in Belfast earlier this week.
Belfast Magistrates Court was told Steven McBrine, from Kinnaird Close in north Belfast, has made full admissions to police.
Mr McBrine is charged with the murders of Frances Murray, 37, and Joseph Dutton, 47, on Monday.
The victims were stabbed to death in their flat in Kinnaird Close.
A PSNI Detective Inspector told Belfast Magistrates Court that the defendant had made "full admissions" about the incident.
The court was told the defendant and the two victims lived close to each other and were friends.
Defence solicitor Denis Maloney described the killings as "an absolute tragedy".
He said the deceased and his client had been drinking together on Monday and that a dispute had arisen between them.
The solicitor said Mr McBrine had fully co-operated with police and given "a full and quite frank account" of what happened.
"It is a great tragedy, particularly at this time of year," he said.
Mr McBrine did not speak during the short court hearing, but nodded to confirm that he understood the charges against him.
He was remanded in custody to appear in court again by video link on 23 January.
