MCKINNEY, Texas — Defense attorneys brought forward additional witnesses Monday in their effort to strengthen self-defense arguments for a teenager accused of fatally stabbing another student at a high school track competition.
The defendant, Karmelo Anthony, age 19, faces murder charges in connection with the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. The incident occurred at a school stadium in Frisco, located in the Dallas metropolitan area, during April 2025.
According to prosecutors, the stabbing constituted an unprovoked assault that arose from a disagreement about Anthony’s presence under Metcalf’s team shelter during inclement weather at the track competition. However, defense counsel maintains that Anthony perceived a threat and believed defensive action was necessary when physical confrontation occurred.
The case has garnered widespread public interest, partly due to social media activity that framed the incident in racial contexts. Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial High School, is Black, while Metcalf, who attended Frisco Memorial High School, was white.
The prosecution concluded presenting their evidence Saturday in Collin County court. During the previous week, jurors listened to testimony from multiple individuals who witnessed the track meet events, including those who described Anthony as the initial aggressor at the shelter and stated he quickly acknowledged committing the stabbing.
During Monday’s proceedings, a teammate of Anthony’s described him as being “distraught.”
“I was hearing him say, ‘I told him not to touch me,’” the witness testified.
Judge John Roach Jr. has ruled that young witnesses cannot be publicly identified.
