Opening arguments began Thursday in Dallas for the murder trial of a former high school athlete charged with fatally stabbing a teenage competitor during a track and field event.
Karmelo Anthony, currently 19 years old, could receive a life sentence if found guilty in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Police records indicate Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense during an altercation that occurred at a high school track meet in Frisco, located in the northern suburbs of Dallas.
The incident last April shocked the wealthy Dallas-area community and gained widespread public attention, particularly after social media content portrayed the case through a racial lens.
This week, a jury was selected with heightened security measures at the Collin County courthouse, where a judge has imposed strict guidelines for the trial, including a ban on public statements from legal counsel.
“We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said while announcing the indictment against Anthony last year.
The fatal encounter occurred on a wet April morning in 2025. Police reports show that witnesses described the conflict starting when Anthony sat beneath a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team. The two teenagers were students at different Frisco high schools.
According to the arrest documentation, when Metcalf instructed Anthony to relocate, Anthony reached into his bag and allegedly responded: “Touch me and see what happens.”
The report states that shortly afterward, Metcalf allegedly grabbed Anthony, who then produced a knife and stabbed the other teen in the chest.
In the police report, an officer noted that Anthony stated Metcalf had physically contacted him first and that he was defending himself.
Following last summer’s indictment, Mike Howard, Anthony’s attorney, said he anticipates prosecutors would “not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt” that his client may have acted in self-defense once the complete details of the confrontation emerge.
Both teenagers’ families described them as strong students with college aspirations.
The father of the victim has criticized those who have focused on the racial backgrounds of the teens following the death. Anthony is Black; Austin Metcalf was white.
“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, said on Fox News’ “America Reports.”
“This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”
Law enforcement officials have also cautioned against online commentary about the killing. Frisco Police Chief David Shilson has encouraged the public to be wary of posts spreading “misinformation, hate, fear, and division.”
