Karmelo Anthony jury reaches verdict in murder trial in Texas track meet stabbing

A Collin County assemblage has reached a verdict successful Karmelo Anthony's execution proceedings implicit the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Memorial High School pupil Austin Metcalf during a precocious schoolhouse way conscionable successful Frisco, Texas.

The verdict is expected to beryllium work Tuesday afternoon, pursuing days of affectional grounds from pupil athletes, constabulary officers, forensic experts and coaches who described the confrontation that ended with Metcalf's decease astatine Kuykendall Stadium connected April 2, 2025.

Anthony, who was 17 astatine the time, admitted helium stabbed Metcalf but claimed helium acted successful self-defense.

A divided of Karmelo Anthony (left) and Austin Metcalf. Anthony was accused of stabbing Metcalf to decease during an April 2, 2025 way conscionable successful Frisco, Texas. (FOX4; Jeff Metcalf)

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What happened astatine the way meet

At the halfway of the lawsuit was a confrontation that unfolded beneath a Memorial High School squad structure during a rainy way conscionable attended by schools from crossed North Texas.

A courtroom sketch depicts Karmelo Anthony and his defence squad arsenic jurors presumption surveillance video during Anthony's execution proceedings successful the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf astatine a Frisco, Texas, way meet. (Pat Lopez)

According to proceedings testimony, Anthony, a pupil from a antithetic school, sat beneath the Memorial structure soon earlier the confrontation began. Several pupil athletes testified that they questioned wherefore helium was determination and repeatedly asked him to leave.

Witnesses told jurors that Austin Metcalf yet approached Anthony and asked him to move. One pupil testified that Anthony was asked to permission astir 15 times. Multiple witnesses recalled Anthony responding with statements specified as, "Touch maine and you'll find out" and "If you privation maine to move, you person to determination me."

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Several students testified that Anthony became progressively assertive arsenic the speech continued. One witnesser told jurors it appeared Anthony was provoking Metcalf, portion different testified it looked similar Anthony was "looking for a fight." Multiple witnesses said they did not judge Metcalf wanted to fight, with 1 recalling Metcalf saying, "I'm not going to combat you astatine a way meet."

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Karmelo Anthony, fishy successful the stabbing decease of Texas way prima Austin Metcalf, walks retired of Collin County Jail connected April 14, 2025. (KDFW)

Witnesses besides repeatedly referenced Anthony keeping 1 manus wrong his backpack during the exchange. Several students testified they believed Anthony was bluffing erstwhile helium suggested helium had thing successful the bag.

The confrontation turned carnal moments later. Witnesses gave differing accounts astir precisely however Metcalf touched Anthony earlier the stabbing, with immoderate describing a shove and others describing a grab. Testimony besides varied connected whether Metcalf utilized 1 manus oregon two.

Anthony past stabbed Metcalf successful the chest, according to testimony.

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Several students said they initially believed Anthony was bluffing. One witnesser testified that helium did not recognize Metcalf had been stabbed until helium saw Anthony propulsion an entity into the bleachers. Another recalled proceeding Metcalf say, "Oh my God."

Mugshot of Karmelo Anthony, left, and Austin Metcalf successful shot pads, right. (Fox DFW/Jeff Metcalf)

The prosecution's case

Prosecutors argued that Anthony escalated a verbal disagreement into a deadly brushwood by pulling a weapon from his backpack and stabbing an unarmed teenager.

To enactment that argument, prosecutors called 21 witnesses, including students who witnessed the confrontation, investigators who processed the transgression country and the aesculapian examiner who performed Metcalf's autopsy.

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Several pupil witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor and that the stabbing did not look to beryllium an enactment of self-defense.

One witnesser testified that nary 1 attempted to pack up connected Anthony and described the carnal interaction earlier the stabbing arsenic "minor pushing astatine most." Another witnesser testified that Anthony appeared to beryllium "looking for a fight."

Jurors besides heard grounds that Anthony told an serviceman aft the stabbing, "I'm not alleged, I did it. He enactment his hands connected me. I told him not to."

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The aesculapian examiner's grounds was among the astir hard moments of the trial. Metcalf's household near the courtroom portion autopsy photographs were shown to the assemblage and his injuries were described successful detail.

The defense's case

Defense attorneys argued that Anthony acted successful self-defense aft being confronted by a larger pupil and physically touched during the dispute.

Throughout the trial, defence attorneys emphasized that Anthony was seated for overmuch of the confrontation portion Metcalf and different students were lasting nearby. Testimony indicated Metcalf outweighed Anthony by astir 50 to 60 pounds.

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Defense lawyer Mike Howard delivers opening statements during Karmelo Anthony's execution proceedings successful a courtroom sketch from the Collin County courthouse (Pat Lopez)

Defense attorneys besides highlighted inconsistencies among witnesser accounts regarding wherever students were positioned, however galore hands Metcalf utilized erstwhile touching Anthony and who was lasting adjacent astatine the clip of the confrontation.

Anthony's way manager testified that athletes from antithetic schools routinely mingle astatine way meets and said his squad lacked capable volunteers to acceptable up a structure that day. He acknowledged, however, that students should permission if asked to permission different team's tent.

One of Anthony's friends testified that helium had antecedently spent clip nether tents belonging to different schools without contented but said helium would permission if asked.

Defense witnesses besides pointed to grounds that different pupil nether the structure knew Anthony and greeted him erstwhile helium arrived.

After the prosecution rested its case, defence attorneys moved for a directed verdict, arguing prosecutors had failed to beryllium their case. The justice denied the motion.

Demonstrators showed enactment for Karmelo Anthony extracurricular the Collin County Courthouse successful McKinney, Texas, connected the archetypal time of assemblage enactment successful his proceedings connected June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The affectional toll

The proceedings often shifted from ineligible arguments to earthy emotion.

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Several teenage witnesses became affectional portion recounting the events of April 2, 2025. One testified portion holding a shot due to the fact that it helped calm his nerves. Another gripped a yellowish accent shot passim his testimony.

That witness, a shot subordinate and way athlete, told jurors that his begetter had precocious been murdered successful California. He described Metcalf arsenic a shot skipper and mentor who believed successful him.

A caller Liberty High School postgraduate became affectional portion recalling seeing Metcalf bleeding aft the stabbing.

A New Black Panther Party subordinate stands extracurricular of Collin County Courthouse wherever Karmelo Anthony is connected proceedings for execution successful McKinney, Texas, Monday, June 8, 2026. Anthony faces first-degree execution successful the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf astatine a way conscionable successful Frisco, Texas, successful April 2025. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

Witnesses repeatedly described Metcalf arsenic a leader, teammate and relation model.

One pupil testified that Metcalf was "always leading" and "always protecting us."

Another recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, "I'm not going to combat you astatine a way meet."

The proceedings besides brought renewed attraction to the devastation suffered by the Metcalf family.

Austin's duplicate brother, Hunter, witnessed the stabbing and was with Austin successful his last moments.

Austin Metcalf's father, Jeff Metcalf, has repeatedly spoken publically astir losing his son.

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Jeff Metcalf stands with his lad Austin Metcalf, a inferior astatine Memorial High School successful Frisco, who was stabbed successful the thorax astatine a way meet, allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)

"Austin was the airy of my life," Metcalf antecedently told Fox News.

Metcalf said his lad died successful Hunter's arms.

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"This idiosyncratic made a atrocious prime and affected some his household and my household forever," helium said.

Despite the tragedy, Metcalf publically expressed forgiveness toward Anthony.

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"People inquire me, however tin you forgive this different person?" Metcalf told Fox News. "I forgive the different idiosyncratic due to the fact that the forgiveness is not for him. The forgiveness is for maine truthful I tin person peace. His beingness is destroyed. My beingness is destroyed."

National attraction and courthouse demonstrations

The lawsuit drew nationalist attraction successful the months starring up to trial, fueled by nationalist statement implicit Anthony's self-defense claim, questions surrounding contention and demonstrations organized by supporters of some families.

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Demonstrators amusement enactment for Austin Metcalf extracurricular the Collin County Courthouse successful McKinney, Texas, connected the archetypal time of assemblage enactment successful Karmelo Anthony’s proceedings connected June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The attraction surrounding the lawsuit extended beyond the courtroom and often played retired extracurricular the Collin County courthouse.

Throughout the trial, a tiny radical of Anthony supporters gathered extracurricular carrying signs speechmaking "Justice for Karmelo Anthony." At times, supporters chanted and held demonstrations successful the courthouse parking lot. While tensions occasionally flared betwixt supporters and passersby, nary large confrontations were reported.

On the time the assemblage was expected to statesman deliberations, Dominique Alexander and the Next Generation Action Network, the activistic radical that has publically supported Anthony's household since soon aft the stabbing, held a quality league extracurricular the courthouse urging supporters to stay peaceful and respect the judicial process.

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In a statement, the enactment warned against individuals it described arsenic seeking to provoke confrontations and called for demonstrations to stay focused connected "justice, fairness, owed process, and adjacent extortion nether the law."

The radical besides condemned threats, governmental unit and extremist rhetoric directed astatine anyone connected to the case, including Anthony, his family, supporters, journalists and tribunal personnel.

The demonstrations reflected the nationalist attraction the lawsuit attracted, with supporters and critics debating Anthony's self-defense claim, the relation contention played successful nationalist absorption to the lawsuit and broader questions astir justness and accountability.

Meanwhile, Metcalf's household repeatedly urged the nationalist to absorption connected Austin's beingness and the facts presented successful court.

Fox News' Brooke Taylor, Lindsey Reese, Peter Cuddihy and Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.