Trial of Texas teen accused of murdering fellow athlete concludes

MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — The fatal stabbing of a high school athlete at a Texas track competition was “murder plain and simple,” a prosecutor declared Tuesday before a jury began deliberations in a high-profile trial centered on youth and tragedy at a community sports event.

Karmelo Anthony, now 19, did not testify in his own defense about the killing of Austin Metcalf, 17, whose death in April 2025 stunned Frisco, a booming Dallas suburb where the two students attended different schools.

Jurors heard dueling narratives from prosecutor Bill Wirskye and defense attorney Michael Howard, who emphasized during his closing argument that Anthony was defending himself after Metcalf wanted him to exit a tent belonging to the track team from Frisco Memorial High School.

The courtroom at the Collin County courthouse was packed as the public passed through an extra security checkpoint to watch the proceedings before jurors began their deliberations.

Howard told jurors that Metcalf had “no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.”

“Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,” Howard said. “In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.”

Wirskye suggested it was strange that a teen would bring a knife to a school sports competition, arguing that deadly force must be “immediately necessary” to be legal. He noted that Anthony was told roughly a dozen times to leave the rival school's tent, which was located in the stadium bleachers.

“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder plain and simple,” the prosecutor asserted.

Wirskye also made a broader appeal to the jury, stating, “Ultimately, this case is about accountability. What kind of community do you want to live in?”

Anthony, who was a student at Centennial High School, could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder. Judge John Roach Jr. indicated that the jury could also consider a lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

If jurors do not reach a verdict Tuesday, they will be sequestered without phones in a hotel.

Over a nearly weeklong trial, Anthony's attorneys sought to demonstrate that he was forced to defend himself. Several schools were competing on that rainy day, and witnesses testified that Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, leading to an escalating confrontation.

Trial witnesses described Anthony as the aggressor, with several students testifying that Metcalf pushed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest. Many questions from the lawyers centered on the team culture at track meets and the confrontation in the tent.

One teammate told jurors that Anthony was “distraught” after the stabbing.

“I was hearing him say, ‘I told him not to touch me,’” the teenager testified.

The judge ordered that the names of teenage witnesses remain confidential.

The death last year garnered significant attention, partly due to social media posts that framed the case in racial terms, as Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white.

After the stabbing, Jeff Metcalf, Austin's father, condemned those who exploited the racial dynamics of the case. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys informed jurors during the trial that race had no relevance to the case.

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