Jurors have reached a verdict in the murder case of Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teenager accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf to death following an alleged altercation at a high school track meet last year.
Anthony is charged with murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Memorial High School athlete Austin Metcalf during a confrontation at a Texas high school track meet. Anthony admits he stabbed Metcalf but claims he acted in self-defense.
Anthony’s attorneys started off Tuesday by asking Judge John Roach to include criminally negligent homicide as an alternative option to manslaughter, but Roach rejected that request. The judge agreed to allow jurors to consider manslaughter, though, in addition to the murder charge against Anthony.
Under Texas law, a person can be convicted of murder if they knowingly or intentionally caused an individual’s death, while manslaughter must only show the defendant “recklessly causes the death of an individual.”
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During closing arguments, the prosecution spoke directly to the jury, adding, “If you think Metcalf impaled himself on Anthony’s knife, find him guilty of manslaughter.”
A murder conviction would carry a maximum sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. A manslaughter conviction would carry a maximum sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
In court Tuesday, Anthony, wearing a gray suit, smiled back at his parents and spoke with them before the judge entered the courtroom. They were smiling as the proceedings began for the day.
Metcalf’s mother was sniffling and used a tissue while the definition of manslaughter was read. His family could be heard sniffling as the definition of self-defense was read, with Metcalf’s parents keeping their heads down as the judge finished instructing the jury.
During the defense team’s closing arguments, Anthony’s attorney insisted Metcalf did not have the right to use physical force to remove Anthony from a Memorial High School team tent while emphasizing his client was legally exercising his ability to defend himself.
“Austin and Hunter had the right to tell Melo to leave, but they did not have the right to use deadly force to make him leave,” defense attorney Mark Howard said. “Melo had an absolute right to defend himself against that.”
His attorney also pointed to the physical difference between the two teenagers – with Metcalf standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 213 pounds, and Anthony coming in at 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds.
“Why would he provoke a fight with a kid so much bigger, with a twin so much bigger, with other teammates?” Howard asked. “It’s not about race as much as people outside want to make it.”
After the defense’s closing arguments, Collin County District Attorney Bill Wirskye told jurors that Anthony’s words were a threat, not a warning, according to FOX 4. He argued that if Anthony had truly feared for his life, he could have called out to a coach for help, and added that the altercation was allegedly provoked by Anthony.
“They want to talk about motive. What is not important is motive. What should be important is mindset. He took a knife to a track meet, and kept it hidden,” Wirskye said. “There is a no weapon policy. He was the only one with a knife. He was always going to come out on top.”
Wirskye reportedly added that Anthony allegedly provoked Metcalf, therefore invalidating Anthony’s self-defense claim.
“You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,” Wirskye said. “That equals murder plain and simple. Unjustified murder.”
Both sides rested Tuesday morning and jurors have started deliberations.
The case has drawn national attention, fueled by debate over Texas self-defense law, questions surrounding race, competing narratives about what happened beneath a Memorial High School team tent and demonstrations outside the Collin County courthouse.
As the defense case neared its conclusion Monday, an unexpected delay in proceedings fueled speculation about what was happening behind the scenes.
Speaking on Fox News’ “The Story,” legal analyst Joshua Ritter suggested one possibility was that Anthony and his attorneys were discussing whether he should testify.
“Perhaps they’re talking to Karmelo Anthony about whether or not he wants to testify,” Ritter, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, said on Monday.
WATCH: Suspect claims self-defense in deadly Texas stabbing trial
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No plea agreement materialized, and the defense ultimately rested without calling Anthony to the witness stand.
Ritter suggested the defense may have been reassessing its strategy after several days of prosecution testimony.
“We’re hearing that the defense case may not be going as they had hoped and planned,” Ritter said.
According to Ritter, defense attorneys could have been searching for a final opportunity to strengthen Anthony’s position before the case reached the jury.
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“Perhaps they’re looking for some last-ditch effort to try to spare him a lifetime in prison,” he said.
Ritter later offered a blunt assessment of the competing cases presented to jurors.
“The prosecution case went very strongly. The defense case doesn’t look like it’s going well,” Ritter said.
Ritter was not the only Fox News legal analyst who questioned the strength of the defense’s case.
Speaking on Fox News’ “America Reports,” criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno said testimony presented during the trial reinforced her belief that Anthony’s self-defense claim faces significant obstacles.
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“I never thought that this case rose to the level of self-defense,” Rotunno said. “This is a sad, awful, tragic circumstance where a young person made a really horrible decision, but decisions have consequences.”
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Rotunno pointed to testimony from multiple student witnesses, including one witness who agreed under questioning that Anthony had provoked the confrontation.
“That one question could really turn the tide here,” Rotunno said.
Rotunno also dismissed defense efforts to highlight testimony that the knife Anthony carried was legal under Texas law because its blade measured less than five inches.
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“Whether you could have the knife legally doesn’t mean that you could use it in the way that it was used,” she said.
Addressing testimony that athletes from different schools commonly interact at track meets, Rotunno said jurors are likely to focus less on whether Anthony was permitted under the Memorial High School tent and more on how he responded after being repeatedly asked to leave.
“He obviously didn’t want to leave,” Rotunno said. “I think they’re trying to show that he knew exactly what he was doing when he put his hand inside that bag.”
Prosecutors called 21 witnesses, including student athletes, police officers, investigators and the medical examiner.
Several students testified that Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the Memorial High School tent before the confrontation escalated. Witnesses recalled Anthony telling Metcalf, “Touch me and you’ll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
Multiple students testified that Metcalf did not appear to be looking for a fight. One witness recalled Metcalf saying, “I’m not going to fight you at a track meet.”
Defense attorneys countered by highlighting testimony that athletes from different schools routinely mingle at track meets, that Anthony was smaller than Metcalf and that witnesses gave differing accounts of the physical interaction immediately before the stabbing.
The trial has unfolded amid demonstrations outside the Collin County courthouse. Supporters of Anthony have gathered throughout the proceedings carrying signs reading “Justice for Karmelo Anthony.”
Outside the courthouse Monday, Next Generation Action Network President Dominique Alexander urged Anthony supporters not to be “baited” into confrontations.
“We do not support chaos. We do not support intimidation. We do not support threats,” Alexander said.
The defense has argued Anthony feared for his safety when he stabbed Metcalf. Prosecutors contend the evidence shows Anthony escalated a verbal dispute into a deadly encounter.
A fundraiser created for both legal funds and to cover the cost of security measures for Anthony’s family has reached $625,605 in donations – a little over half of the $1,396,725 goal.
WATCH: Father speaks out after son was stabbed to death at track meet
The case now rests on competing versions of what happened beneath the Memorial High School tent and whether jurors believe Anthony’s actions were justified.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor, Peter Cuddihy and Lindsey Reese contributed to this report.
