The murder trial of 18-year-old Karmelo Anthony moved into its fourth day in Collin County with testimony centered on what happened inside and around a Memorial High School track team tent before Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed. Anthony has pleaded not guilty in the case stemming from the deadly confrontation at Kuykendall Stadium, and prosecutors are using witness accounts, body camera video and physical evidence to argue that the attack was not self-defense.
The trial is expected to last about two weeks, and the courtroom remains tightly controlled with no cameras, livestreams or audio recording allowed inside. With seating limited, much of the public is following live reporting from inside the courtroom as witnesses describe the moments before and after the stabbing.
What witnesses said about the confrontation
The state called another young witness on Day Four, an 18-year-old Memorial graduate who was competing at the meet. He told jurors that Anthony appeared in a place where he did not belong and that it seemed “suspicious” when Anthony was near the Memorial tent.
According to that witness, Anthony “came out of nowhere,” and Metcalf told him to leave the tent. The witness said Anthony refused to move, and he also recalled Metcalf saying, “you don’t have anything in that backpack, it’s Frisco.” Prosecutors asked whether Anthony seemed ready for a fight, and the witness answered yes. He also said Metcalf did not seem eager to fight and that the stabbing happened so fast he did not realize what had occurred.
The witness said Anthony’s backpack was open and that Anthony had his right hand inside it. Under cross-examination, defense attorney Mike Howard pressed the witness about the weather, the earlier statement the witness gave, and whether the exchange was more of a shove than a fight. The witness described Metcalf’s push as a “lineman move,” an inward and upward motion.
Another teenage witness described a heated exchange
The first young witness called by prosecutors, a 17-year-old Memorial track athlete, gave a similar account of a tense and fast-moving confrontation. He testified that it was pouring rain at first, which is why athletes went under the tent, and said Anthony was told to leave repeatedly.
That witness said he saw Anthony greet another Memorial student before being asked to go. He also told jurors he heard Anthony say, “touch me and find out,” and said the phrase sounded like a threat. He described “minor pushing” for a couple of minutes and said both Anthony and Metcalf seemed angry and aggressive.
The witness testified that Metcalf leaned in to push Anthony and then Anthony stabbed him. He said the blow came while Metcalf was leaning into Anthony, and he later demonstrated the movement in court during questioning by defense attorney Toby Shook. The witness also said Hunter Metcalf, Austin’s twin brother, was not really involved in the exchange.
Prosecutors focus on the final moments
During questioning, prosecutors tried to show that Metcalf did not start the confrontation and did not deserve what happened. The witness answered “No, sir” when asked whether Austin Metcalf deserved to be stabbed, and also said Metcalf was not the aggressor.
The state also highlighted what the witness said about Anthony’s backpack and body position. He said Anthony had one hand in the backpack and appeared to be bluffing about what was inside. When the prosecution asked whether Anthony provoked Metcalf, the answer was yes.
Defense lawyers pushed back by testing the witness’s memory and asking him to walk through the movements again. They also focused on whether the boys were outside the tent, how much space was around them, and what exactly happened in the seconds before the stabbing.
Evidence shown to jurors
Jurors also heard from Frisco police criminalist Stefani Martin, who said she was called to the crime scene at 10:43 a.m. on April 2. She collected the pocket knife, clothing and backpack, and testified that the blade measured 3 1/2 inches.
Martin told jurors that Anthony’s backpack contained snacks, a hair pick, a phone cord, keys and a cross necklace. Jurors were also shown a gray sweatshirt with a small red stain.
Frisco police officer Jacob Schalz later described the rain that morning as heavy at times and intermittent at others. He said he helped secure the scene and search for the knife, which had been found several rows from the crime tape by a school administrator.
Schalz testified that the knife was a folding knife with a black blade and gray handle. Prosecutors displayed the knife and a replica in court so Schalz could demonstrate how the blade opened quickly and locked into place.
Body camera footage and arrest details
The prosecution also played body camera video from Officer Jacob Schalz. The footage showed emergency efforts to help Austin Metcalf, while crying students could be heard in the background.
In the courtroom, Metcalf’s mother cried and his father looked down as the video played. After it ended, the room fell silent, and a juror was seen crying before the judge called a recess.
Frisco school resource officer Eduardo Cortez later testified that he ran from Staley Middle School after getting a stabbing call on the radio. He said he saw Anthony near a fence by the stadium, walked along the fence with him and then handcuffed him after Anthony was identified by a student.
Cortez told jurors Anthony was cooperative and said he heard him say, “I am not alleged. I did it.” He also testified that Anthony said, without prompting, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.” Cortez said Anthony later asked whether Austin Metcalf was OK.
Surveillance video and body camera footage shown in court backed up parts of Cortez’s account. The video showed him moving quickly toward the Memorial tent, handcuffing Anthony and searching him before placing him in a police car.
What the jury is hearing from the scene
Firefighter and paramedic Neil Adams was the first witness on Day Four. He testified that the 911 call came in around 10:00 a.m. and that it took him about six or seven minutes to reach the stadium.
Adams said he jumped a fence to get to the tent, where he found Metcalf. He told jurors that Metcalf was not breathing and had no pulse. Adams said Metcalf was moved to an ambulance, but life-saving efforts did not restore consciousness.
The testimony so far has centered on the same core dispute: whether Anthony acted in self-defense or escalated a confrontation that ended with Metcalf’s death. With several teenage witnesses and officers already taking the stand, prosecutors are building a record of what they say happened in the crowded tent area before the stabbing and in the frantic minutes that followed.
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