In McKinney, Texas, the lawyer representing Karmelo Anthony has shifted blame onto the victim, Austin Metcalf, for the deadly encounter that unfolded during a track and field event last year. Anthony, who was 19 at the time, continues to assert a self-defense claim in the ongoing case.
The incident occurred on April 2, 2025, at a stadium in Frisco, where rival teams were competing. Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing Metcalf, a 17-year-old, after Metcalf allegedly confronted him and asked him to vacate his team’s tent.
During the closing arguments at the Collin County trial, Anthony’s lawyer, Mike Howard, argued that Metcalf had no legal authority to forcibly remove Anthony from the tent. “He had the right to ask him to leave, but he didn’t have any legal right to use force,” Howard stated, as Anthony listened attentively.
Howard further asserted that Anthony was justified in defending himself. “He had an absolute right to defend himself. If you wait until it’s too late to defend yourself, it’s meaningless,” he argued, as reported by the Daily Mail.
As the trial progressed, a family friend of the Metcalfs, visibly distressed, mouthed “what is this?” while shaking her head in disbelief from the courtroom gallery in McKinney.
Here’s the latest on Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial following the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf
A friend of the Metcalf family mouthed “what is this?” as she looked on from the McKinney courtroom gallery shaking her head.
Before the closings began Tuesday morning, Anthony’s family members formed a circle and held hands as they prayed ahead of what could be the day he learns his fate.
Anthony faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted of first-degree murder. He’s pleaded not guilty.
