MCKINNEY, Texas – The second day of testimony in the Karmelo Anthony trial began on Friday morning. The former Frisco ISD student is accused of fatally stabbing another student at a high school track meet.
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Anthony, 19, faces a murder charge in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Police said Anthony and Metcalf got into an argument over seating in the stadium stands on April 2, 2025, which escalated when Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the chest with a pocketknife.
The trial is expected to last approximately two weeks. If convicted, Anthony faces a maximum sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison.
Recap of the Karmelo Anthony trial. (FOX 4)
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5 p.m. Done for the day
The judge dismissed the jury for the day. Court will resume at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
4:45 p.m. The people under the tent
Defense attorney Mike Howard clarified that there were about 20 people under the tent when the stabbing happened, a mixture of both boys and girls.
He said that the Liberty tent was “getting pretty crowded” because “people were hiding from the rain.” The teenage witness agreed.
The witness also agreed that it seemed like Anthony knew at least one person who was seated under the Memorial tent.
The defense pointed out and the witness agreed that Anthony was seated near the middle of the tent with other people around him.
The defense seems to be using cross-examination to point out to the teenage witnesses the differences between their testimony in court and the statements they gave police, as well as the location where people were sitting or standing. The attorney has asked each one if they recalled seeing Anthony sitting while Metcalf was standing.
4:35 p.m. In the courtroom
Anthony remained expressionless as the teens testified. He seemed to be looking down most of the time and not looking at the witnesses.
Metcalf’s family appeared emotional, consoling one another.
4:30 p.m. Memorial student testifies
The next witness was another 17-year-old Memorial student who plays football and runs track. He testified that the Metcalf twins had been somewhere else, possibly warming up or at the concession stand, and then came back to the tent. When they got back, they talked to people at the front of the tent and then saw Anthony.
The student said it was starting to rain. He recalled seeing Anthony behind Memorial’s section of the bleachers. He “dabbed somebody up” and was “minding his own business,” the witness testified.
The witness testified that Metcalf asked Anthony to leave “nice at first and things heated up from there.” He remembered hearing Anthony say, “Touch me and see what happens.”
This witness also saw Anthony’s hand in his backpack and heard him tell Metcalf, “Don’t touch me.” The witness testified that he was worried because it appeared as though Anthony was holding something.
He recalled seeing Metcalf “touch” Anthony on his shoulder with two hands, “kind of moving him,” and then Anthony “stabbed him in the chest.”
He said he didn’t think there would be a fight because Metcalf was a bigger guy and was trying to be nice about it. But he said Anthony wasn’t cooperating or listening. He described Anthony as getting “worked up.”
The teen said he didn’t know Anthony. Like the students before him, he testified that he didn’t think the action was self-defense, and he didn’t think Metcalf wanted to fight that day.
Under cross-examination, this teen admitted that he was worried about what might happen next, and he did take Anthony’s warning seriously because he saw Anthony’s hand in the bag apparently holding something.
The witness admitted he stood up when Metcalf stood up because he didn’t want there to be a fight. He agreed that Metcalf was standing, he was standing, Metcalf’s brother was standing, but Anthony was sitting.
This witness further described Metcalf’s next action as a “grab” with two hands that knocked Anthony backward. He testified that’s when he saw Anthony’s hand come out of the bag.
4 p.m. Liberty High School student testifies
A Liberty High School student who recently graduated took the stand. She was competing in the track meet that day for Liberty, which had a tent set up right next to the Memorial High School tent.
She described the weather, saying it was raining really hard for a few minutes and then drizzling.
“What drew your attention?” the prosecutor asked.
She described hearing Anthony and Metcalf having a verbal argument. She recalled hearing Anthony say, “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
She testified that Anthony was more aggressive than Metcalf. Unlike some of the previous witnesses, she said she did think a fight was about to break out. But she testified that she didn’t think Metcalf wanted to fight.
The teen testified that she didn’t think the fight had anything to do with race.
She also became emotional on the stand while recalling seeing Metcalf bleeding.
During cross-examination, the defense pointed out some discrepancies between her testimony in court and the statements she gave to the police about what she heard versus what she heard through gossip.
3:30 p.m. Another teammate testifies
The next witness called to the stand was a 17-year-old rising senior whose father was recently murdered in California. He is a running back on the Memorial High School football team and was a member of the track team.
He told jurors that Metcalf was his team captain in football and was a leader. He described him as “someone who believed in him.”
This witness again walked through the events that happened step by step. He testified that he was putting on his shorts when he saw Metcalf talking to Anthony. He described Metcalf asking Anthony who he was and said Anthony “was trying to provoke him.”
The witness testified that Metcalf said something to the effect of, “Dude, I’m not gonna fight you at a track meet.”
“Did you think a fight was going to happen?” the prosecutor asked.
“No, because Austin said, ‘I’m not going to fight you at the track meet.’ Those were his exact words,” the 17-year-old witness said.
Like the student witnesses before him, the teen said Anthony was the aggressor, and it did not appear to be an act of self-defense.
He said he had the impression that Anthony was trying to “blend in with the crowd” after the stabbing.
Under cross-examination, the defense showed a diagram of the bleachers for the witness to indicate where everyone was sitting or standing. The attorney emphasized that Metcalf was standing and Anthony was sitting.
“He was sitting with his hand in his bag,” the teen said.
The witness reenacted the shove to the shoulder that Metcalf gave Anthony. He said at that point, Anthony stood up and stabbed Metcalf.
The past few witnesses have given slightly different descriptions of the strength of Metcalf’s “push” or “shove.” Some witnesses said it was with two hands, while others said it was with one hand.
When the defense asked about athletes from different schools mingling at track meets, the witness acknowledged that sometimes it does happen. But he said typically coaches will tell other students to leave the tent if they’re from a different school.
2:40 p.m. Third teen testifies
A 16-year-old rising junior took the stand. He told jurors he was on the football team and track team. He said that even though Metcalf and his twin brother were older than him, he knew them from football and track.
He testified that on the morning of the deadly track meet, he helped set up the tent, which he called, “a home base for us.” He remembered Anthony walking up and sitting under the tent.
“What did you think when he sat there,” the prosecutor asked.
“I was questioning why he was here,” the teen said.
He said he wondered if Anthony had friends there. He told jurors it’s “weird” for students to come to other tents.
Once Anthony sat down, the teen said he heard Metcalf ask him why he was there. He said Metcalf asked him multiple times to leave, but he did not. Anthony said several times that he had something in his bag. The teen testified that the knife already had to be opened because there was no way he could have stabbed Metcalf that fast.
“Did either Austin or Karmelo get angry?” the state asked.
“Not angry but more frustrated,” the teen said.
He said he didn’t know why it escalated so fast. He testified that Anthony got more aggressive the more he was asked to leave.
“Did it appear Austin wanted to fight?” the prosecutor asked.
“No,” the teen said.
When asked why he thought Anthony was bluffing about having something in his bag, the teen said it was because, “I would never think someone would have a knife at a track meet.”
“Was anyone on their feet because a fight was going to break out?” the state asked.
“No, sir,” the teen replied.
“Would people be standing if they thought a fight was about to break out?” the prosecutor asked.
“Yes, sir, recording on cellphones,” the teen said.
The teen said the altercation did not look like self-defense. He said Anthony was the aggressor and the one who provoked the fight.
Under cross-examination, the defense attorney asked the 16-year-old witness about the recorded statements he gave at the police station. He admitted that he was able to communicate and text other teammates while waiting to be interviewed. That’s how he found out that Metcalf had died.
He also admitted that he saw Anthony greet someone under the tent who he allegedly knew.
“Did the other student ever say that he knew Karmelo Anthony?” the defense asked.
“No, not when Karmelo Anthony was questioned about why he was there,” the teen said.
The teen said Anthony was under the tent for just a few minutes before he was questioned. Metcalf was the first to question him and then “everybody else did.”
Defense attorney Toby Shook asked the teen to read from the transcript of his police interview. According to the transcript, he said it was “Austin and Hunter telling Karmelo Anthony to leave.”
“Was Austin asking where Karmelo was from? Anything like that?” the defense asked.
“No, sir,” the teen said.
When asked if he heard Anthony warn Metcalf several times that he had something in his bag, the teen replied, “Yes.” But he said he’s not sure if he thought that was a warning.
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“I’m not sure what it was,” he said.
The defense questioned the teen about the size difference between Anthony and Metcalf. Metcalf outweighed Anthony by about 50 or 60 pounds, and the teen admitted that “maybe” he could be considered intimidating.
1:40 p.m. Second teammate testifies
A second teen testified that he was sitting right next to Anthony in the bleachers.
“Did it look like Austin was looking to pick a fight?” the prosecutor asked.
“No, sir,” the teen replied.
“Did it look like Karmelo was looking to pick a fight?” the prosecutor asked.
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“Did this look like self-defense to you?” the attorney asked.
“No, sir,” the teen said.
1 p.m. Metcalf’s teammate testifies
A 17-yr-old Memorial High School student began testifying. He’s on the track team and knew the Metcalf twins. He was under the tent with them on the day of the stabbing.
He testified that several teammates told Anthony, “You probably shouldn’t be here. You need to leave our tent.” He said it became more aggressive. Anthony told Metcalf, “Touch me and find out.” The student said no one tried to gang up or mob Anthony. He described it as “minor pushing at most.”
The student told jurors that both Anthony and Metcalf were angry and aggressive. Metcalf originally calmly asked Anthony to leave and as Anthony didn’t, the situation got more aggressive.
“Who was provoking?” prosecutors asked.
“Karmelo Anthony,” he replied.
The student said Metcalf pushed Anthony and Anthony stabbed him.
He testified that Anthony had a backpack on his lap with his hand in it. They thought Anthony was “bluffing” when he had his hand in his bag and that he wasn’t going to do anything. He didn’t realize Anthony had stabbed Metcalf until he saw Anthony toss something up the bleachers. He didn’t realize it was a knife until later. He said he heard Metcalf say, “Oh my God.”
“Did anyone gang up on Karmelo Anthony?” the prosecutor asked.
“No,” the student replied.
He reported being about an arm’s distance from the pair.
Under cross-examination, the teen demonstrated to the defense how the deadly encounter went down. He said Metcalf, who was standing in front of Anthony, pushed Anthony with both hands on his shoulders. Anthony swayed back. His hand came out of his backpack. Anthony then leaned forward and stabbed Metcalf. He didn’t see the knife.
12 a.m. The crime scene
Stephanie Martin, a criminalist with the Frisco Police Department, took the stand after lunch. She processed the crime scene.
She testified that the knife blade recovered from the scene was 3.5 inches long.
10:45 a.m. Lunch break
The court took a lunch break until about 11:45 a.m.
10 a.m. Another school resources officer
Frisco school resource officer Jacob Shalz was called to the stand. He testified that he found a knife three or four rows up from the crime scene in between rows of bleachers. Anthony’s blue backpack was found nearby.
Jurors were shown pictures of a folding knife with a silver or gray handle. It was half open and appeared to have blood on the blade.
They watched video from Officer Shalz’s body camera as he came up on Metcalf getting chest compressions. In the video, Metcalf’s brother can be heard hysterically crying and yelling, “He’s my best friend. He’s my brother.”
Several people sitting in the gallery, presumably associated with the Metcalf family, cried as the video was played. Metcalf’s mom had to be consoled by the person sitting next to her.
9:30 a.m. No weapons allowed
Officer Cortez testified that Frisco ISD policy strictly prohibits weapons on school property.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye asked Cortez if he would agree that a student bringing a knife to a school event was “unprecedented, never encountered.”
Cortez responded, “Yes, sir.”
9:15 a.m. Officer who arrested Anthony testifies
Jurors next heard from Frisco ISD school resource officer Eduardo Cortez, who was at work at a nearby middle school when he heard the stabbing call. He told jurors he ran from the school to the stadium and entered at the southwest entrance.
Two high school students told Cortez where the victim was and gave him a description of the suspect. As he was making his way to the bleachers, an adult yelled to Cortez, “That’s our suspect.”
Cortez gave Anthony instructions and told him to walk towards him. He patted him down for any weapons and found none. He then placed Anthony in handcuffs.
Over the radio, Cortez advised, “I have the alleged suspect detained in handcuffs.” Cortez said he did not ask Anthony any questions but Anthony “talked.”
“I’m not alleged, I did it,” Anthony told Cortez. “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.”
Cortez said Anthony asked him as he was being put into the patrol car if Metcalf “would be okay.”
Cortez noticed Anthony had some blood on his left middle finger.
Jurors were shown body camera video of these events.
Anthony appeared emotional in the video when telling Cortez, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to. He put his hands on me.”
The prosecutor asked Cortez about whether he heard Anthony sobbing or crying during the arrest. Wirskye noted that once he got into the squad car he was, “cool, calm, and collected.”
Cortez said, “Yes, sir.”
In another officer’s body camera video, Anthony can be heard telling officers, “I’m not alleged. I did it.”
On cross-examination, the defense asked Cortez if Athony was emotional while in the back of the squad car. Cortez struggled to answer but eventually responded by saying, “Yes.”
9 a.m. Testimony resumes
The first witness to take the stand was Neil Adams, a Frisco firefighter paramedic. On April 2, 2025, he responded to the stabbing at the stadium and drove the ambulance right up to where Metcalf was lying. He was the paramedic in charge.
Jurors were shown pictures of the scene.
Adams told jurors he ordered others to move a nearby school tent because it was raining and he wanted “a clean scene” while treating Metcalf. He observed that Metcalf’s pupils were fixed and dilated. He did not have a pulse. His color was gray.
He moved Metcalf to the back of the ambulance, gave him blood, and continued life-saving measures. Adams said Metcalf “never regained consciousness.”
He was a little emotional when describing that day.
Day 1 Testimony Recap: Jurors watch video, listen to 911 calls
The prosecution and defense laid out two completely opposing narratives to the jury during their 20-minute opening statements. Collin County District Attorney Bill Wirskye called the incident a “provoked, unjustified murder,” arguing that Anthony entered a closed team tent uninvited, provoked a confrontation, and launched a “sneak attack” with a hidden knife before fleeing.
Wirskye explicitly noted that the case is not about race or self-defense. Conversely, defense attorney Mike Howard argued that Anthony acted out of a “split second of fear and chaos.” Howard described Anthony as an honor student working two jobs who remained seated until Metcalf and his twin brother confronted him, maintaining that Anthony used the knife strictly in self-defense because he felt cornered by a group turning on him.
Grainy Stadium Video and Coach Testimony
Jurors viewed surveillance footage provided by Frisco ISD from multiple stadium angles. The video showed a figure identified as Anthony entering the Memorial High School team tent, followed by a brief scuffle and Anthony fleeing the scene as coaches and students gave chase.
Memorial High School track coach Robert Starr testified to the sacred nature of team tents, comparing them to a sports bench where you just do not go in uninvited. He became visibly emotional on the stand while describing the immediate aftermath of the stabbing.
Chaotic 911 Audio and Bloody Evidence Close Day 1
The afternoon session turned deeply emotional as the prosecution played a chaotic 911 call from the scene. In the audio, Liberty High School football coach Joshua Rebmann, a military veteran who administered CPR, could be heard shouting, “Stay with me, Austin.”
The state capped the day with a powerful visual display, presenting the physical, blood-stained jacket that Rebmann used to apply pressure to Metcalf’s wound. Legal observers noted that displaying the bloody jacket right before adjournment left a staggering, lasting impression on the jury.
Jury Selection Recap: No Black jurors selected; defense raises racial challenge
A 12-person jury with six alternates was finalized Wednesday afternoon in a Collin County courtroom. The selection process resulted in a panel of 11 women and seven men. There are no Black jurors.
The final phase of jury selection grew tense when defense attorneys lodged a formal objection during the second round of strikes. The defense argued that the state improperly struck down three potential Black female jurors who were “similarly situated” to a white female juror allowed to remain on the panel.
Prosecutors strongly denied that race played a factor. Assistant District Attorney Dewey Mitchell clarified that all three women were struck because they listed their occupations as educators. Because the fatal incident occurred at a school-sponsored athletic function involving school-aged children, prosecutors seemingly did not want traditional educators on the panel.
State District Judge John Roach Jr. ultimately sided with the prosecution, allowing the strikes to stand. While one educator was successfully seated on the 12-person jury, she is an esthetician at a trade school and does not work with high school-aged children.
Self-Defense vs. Guilt
During jury selection, both sides were given one hour and 45 minutes to question potential jurors.
Assistant DA Mitchell pressed the pool on whether they could listen to the evidence with an open mind and follow the law to render a verdict, even when dealing with a young defendant. The questioning took an unusual turn when Mitchell asked if race could affect anyone’s ability to determine guilt. After a handful of people admitted it could, Mitchell noted that in his entire career, he had never had to have such an explicit conversation about race with a jury panel. One Frisco ISD educator in the pool was excused after stating the case “hit too close to home.”
Howard, the defense attorney, immediately signaled that the entire trial would pivot on whether Anthony had the legal right to defend himself. Howard, who referred to his client by his nickname “Melo,” questioned the pool on whether they would penalize Anthony if he exercised his right not to testify. He also gauged their feelings on prison sentencing, noting the minimum threshold for a murder conviction is five years.
Continued Coverage
- Day 1: Jurors watch stabbing videos following opening statements
- No Black jurors selected for Karmelo Anthony murder trial
- Jury selection underway for deadly Frisco track meet stabbing
- Jury selection to begin in death of Frisco student
No Cameras Allowed
Collin County Courtroom
The case has received widespread attention. Fueled in large part by online speculation and misinformation, the proceedings have become heavily racially charged. For months, the case has played out in the court of public opinion, prompting demonstrators from both sides to gather outside the courthouse Monday morning.
To keep the proceedings orderly and minimize outside influence, court officials have banned cameras inside the courtroom and will restrict electronic devices once testimony begins.
Frisco Track Meet Stabbing
The backstory:
Witnesses reported that the physical confrontation between the two teens began during a regional track meet at Kuykendall Stadium. Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, was sitting under the Memorial High School team tent. Metcalf, a Memorial student, reportedly told him to leave. Investigators found no evidence that the two young men knew each other prior to the incident.
An arrest report detailed Anthony’s interactions with law enforcement in the moments following the stabbing. According to the document, witnesses pointed him out to a school resource officer, who located Anthony on the north end of the track.
“I gave the suspect instructions to keep his hands up in the air. During this time, the suspect said verbally out loud, ‘I was protecting myself,’” the officer noted in the report. The suspect also stated, “He put his hands on me.”
After the officer mentioned to colleagues that he had the “alleged suspect” in custody, Anthony interjected: “I’m not alleged. I did it.”
“He put his hands on me. I told him not to,” Anthony continued as officers escorted him out of the stadium in handcuffs. The report states that Anthony later asked officers if the victim was going to be okay and “asked if what happened could be considered self-defense.”
In the days following the stabbing, the case exploded across social media platforms. Anthony maintained his self-defense claim from jail, where he was initially held on a $1 million bond. Twelve days after his arrest, a judge reduced the bond to $250,000, citing his lack of a prior criminal record.
Three days later, Anthony’s family held a press conference urging the public to lower the emotional temperature surrounding the case.
“I don’t know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial,” said Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes.
Public attention intensified further when Metcalf’s father attended the family’s press conference. He was ultimately escorted out by police after organizers stated he was not invited to the event.
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