A man accused of battering and stabbing Matthew Clarke to death admitted having the word "killa" tattooed on his body during an initiation into a notorious US gang.

However, Kyle Sousa denied this made him a man of violence, telling Supreme Court he decided against being a member of "The Bloods" in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Sousa, 18, is on trial along with Vernon Simons and Shannon Tucker for the murder last April, which saw 31-year-old Mr. Clarke stabbed and beaten to death in his own bed allegedly in connection with a drugs plot.

In answer to questions from Simons' lawyer Larry Scott yesterday, Sousa said: "I got initiated into a gang and they made me get a tattoo." Asked about the initiation, he explained: "I got beat up... they all jumped me and punched me."

However, he denied doing any initiating himself or actually joining The Bloods despite the symbol inked onto his forearm.

"I lost the heart to be in the gang," he said, explaining that he left and returned to Bermuda instead.

Sousa, who blames his co-accused for the attack and says he was just a bystander, is set to continue being cross-examined today.