Harrowing new witness testimony shed light on the desperate final moments of 17-year-old Texas high school athlete Austin Metcalf’s life following a fatal April 2025 stabbing at a crowded track meet.
A Memorial High School student-athlete testified Saturday that students repeatedly asked Karmelo Anthony to leave the team tent and that Anthony allegedly challenged students to fight. The witness said Austin declined, telling him he was not going to fight at a track meet.
Moments later, the student testified he heard Austin repeatedly yell that he had been stabbed before the students fled the area.
A second witness, a 16-year-old Memorial High School student from the class of 2027, told the court that immediately after the attack, some of Metcalf’s final words were, “he f—— stabbed me.”
Taking the stand later Saturday, a recently graduated 18-year-old from Memorial High School broke down in tears as he recounted the chaotic aftermath of the attack, testifying that he heard Metcalf “screaming for help.”
The witness said he returned to assist after initially running from the scene and saw coaches, trainers and students rushing to help Austin while others held back Austin’s twin brother, Hunter.
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The new emotional accounts build on earlier testimony from another student who recalled hearing Metcalf say, “Oh my God,” as the reality of the stabbing set in.
Karmelo Anthony, 19, faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of Metcalf, who was unable to be resuscitated by high school staff who attempted CPR as he lost consciousness. He later died at a local hospital.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty to the charge, with his defense team maintaining that he acted in a “split second of fear and chaos” and stabbed Metcalf in self-defense, Fox News Digital previously reported.
According to background details presented by prosecutors, the deadly encounter was sparked by a dispute over seating at the track meet.
Multiple witnesses testified that Anthony arrived uninvited and sat down inside the Memorial High School team tent. Fellow students reportedly asked Anthony to leave the tent as many as 15 times, but he allegedly refused.
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As the situation escalated, witnesses testified that Anthony warned Metcalf, telling him, “Touch me and find out,” and “Touch me, see what happens.”
During the confrontation, Anthony sat with a backpack on his lap and one hand inside it, leading some students to warn Metcalf not to touch him because they suspected he was gripping a concealed weapon.
The verbal dispute turned physical when Metcalf reportedly shoved or touched Anthony, prompting Anthony to stand up and stab the high school captain with a 3.5-inch folding knife.
Witnesses on Saturday described Anthony as “the aggressor,” noting Metcalf was “unwilling to fight.”
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Body-camera footage and officer testimony revealed that a cooperative Anthony made admissions to police immediately following the incident.
“I’m not alleged. I did it,” Anthony allegedly told a responding school resource officer.
He then repeatedly defended his actions to the police, saying, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.”
After calling 21 witnesses, the state rested its case. Defense attorneys moved for a directed verdict, but the judge denied the motion.
Fox News’ Peter Cuddihy and Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
