A newly released, chaotic 911 call captured the desperate pleas of Austin Metcalf’s coach moments after Karmelo Anthony launched the fatal attack.
In the recording made public Friday, Joshua Rebmann can be heard urging the critically wounded student-athlete to “fight” — just 10 days after Anthony was convicted of murder in the April 2, 2025, stabbing.
“Stay with me, Austin. C’mon! C’mon,” Rebmann, a Liberty High coach and military veteran, pleaded as panic erupted at the scene in Frisco, Texas.
“Fight through, fight through. You’re doing good,” he continued.
Rebmann used his jacket in an effort to help save Metcalf, a Memorial High student who was bleeding heavily after Anthony’s 3.5-inch blade pierced his heart.
In a separate recording, Metcalf’s friend Mason — who placed the 911 call — told dispatchers in a panic, “My friend just got stabbed,” while saying he had “no clue” who was responsible for the attack at Kuykendall Stadium during the track meet.
“He was sitting in our tent, but you need to send an ambulance right now,” Mason said urgently, before providing a description of the attacker’s clothing.
Metcalf, 17, suffered a stab wound to the left side of his chest, and Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, the Collin County chief medical examiner, later testified to jurors that the injury could not have been survived.
The blade perforated the bone at the center of Metcalf’s chest, as well as the sack that surrounds his heart, Ventura said, describing his wound as “gaping.”
Jurors gasped in horror and one covered her mouth after being shown chilling autopsy pictures, while Anthony — now 19 — looked at his lap, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
A paramedic, who also took the stand at the trial in McKinney, said Metcalf was found with no pulse and never regained consciousness.
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Witnesses told the court how Anthony — who went to Centennial High School — was the aggressor and said that he came into the Memorial High tent to shelter from the rain.
He allegedly ignored requests to leave before threatening Metcalf, who outweighed him by 50 to 60 pounds.
At one point during the escalating dispute, Anthony warned Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens,” while his hand was in his backpack, witnesses said.
Metcalf eventually shoved Anthony, and the killer teen whipped out a knife from his bag, plunging it into the victim’s chest, according to testimony.
Anthony — who was sentenced to 35 years in prison — has claimed he acted in self-defense – and his parents Kala Hayes and Andrew Anthony have consistently stressed their son isn’t a killer.
“My son is no murderer,” she told CBS after the sentencing. “My son was defending himself, and that’s what hurts so bad.”
Hayes claimed the jurors “had their minds made up already.”
Meanwhile Andrew Anthony claimed that his son didn’t get justice.
“They did a number on us,” he alleged. “We didn’t get justice. A lot of things that were missed that should have been handled a certain way; however, we couldn’t say anything. We did what we were instructed. We did what we were told.”
Anthony and his lawyers have already filed a notice of appeal – and a group of six lawyers have announced they will represent him pro-bono, which means without charge.
“Immediately after the conviction, Karmelo Anthony’s father reached out to me and asked for help assembling a new legal team to fight for his son’s future,” Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney, posted on X Monday.
“We remain committed to ensuring that Karmelo receives a full and fair review of his conviction and sentence, consistent with both the evidence and the law.
“This is not about headlines; it is about due process, accountability, and the pursuit of justice for a young man whose life now depends on what happens on appeal.”
