Prosecutors rest in Karmelo Anthony murder trial after testimony on track meet stabbing

MCKINNEY, Texas (CN) — Texas prosecutors rested their case Saturday in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony after witnesses testified the Black teenager cursed, provoked and insulted students at a suburban track meet before stabbing an unarmed white teenager who shoved him.

Four teenage witnesses testified for the prosecution on the sixth day of trial. Anthony, 19, of Frisco, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the April 2, 2025, killing of Austin Metcalf, 17, also of Frisco.

Collin County District Judge John Roach asked the media not to identify the young witnesses. One 16-year-old Memorial High School student testified that he heard Anthony say, “I’m not leaving, fuck you all,” after being asked to leave the school’s tent during a rain delay. Anthony, a member of the Centennial High School team, did not have a school tent at the track meet and was repeatedly told to leave.

The witness said Anthony called the students “a bunch of pussies” who were “not going to do nothing about it” when he refused to leave. Defense attorneys maintain Anthony was speaking to a friend in the tent and acted in self-defense when confronted by Metcalf and his twin brother, Hunter.

Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye asked if Metcalf took the lead in the altercation.

“Yes, Karmelo put his hand in the bag and said five times, ’touch me and see what happens,” the witness testified. “Austin said he was not going to touch the guy; he was calm.”

The witness said Metcalf “did not deserve” to be killed and that Anthony committed murder.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Toby Shook noted that the witness did not mention Anthony’s cursing in the written statement he gave police after the killing. The witness acknowledged he did not know whether other nearby students heard the remarks.

A 17-year-old male Memorial student testified no one in the tent knew who Anthony was.

“If you are a guest, you are supposed to be on the other side of the stadium,” the witness said.

Wirskye asked the witness if it was his “impression Karmelo Anthony was trying to provoke Austin Metcalf” and if Metcalf responded to the provocation.

“Yes,” the witness testified. “He put his hand on his shoulder … you do not expect to see someone get stabbed at a track meet.”

“Was there any reason you saw for Karmelo Anthony to stab Austin Metcalf?” Wirskye asked. “Was Karmelo Anthony acting in self-defense?”

“No,” the witness said. “That’s lethal force against non-lethal force.”

On cross-examination, Shook reminded the witness of his written statement to police that Austin put his hand on Anthony’s shoulder to intimidate him.

“More of a warning,” the witness said. “Actions speak louder than words.”

Prosecutors rested after calling their final witness, Collin County medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura. She testified that the two-inch-deep stab wound pierced Metcalf’s sternum and the right ventricle of his heart. Several people, including Metcalf’s parents, left the courtroom during her testimony.

Defense attorneys immediately moved for a directed verdict, arguing the state failed to prove the elements of first-degree murder. Judge John Roach denied the motion.

The defense then called Centennial coach Adam Linwood, who testified that students from different schools regularly mingle during track meets because of the “hours of downtime” between events. He said Centennial requires a coach to be present in each tent and that students sometimes enter tents belonging to other schools.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Wirskye showed Linwood a replica of the weapon and asked, “This is not a cleat sharpener, correct?” Linwood agreed. Wirskye also asked why Centennial did not have a tent at the meet, and Linwood explained it was being transported on a later bus rather than the morning bus Anthony took to his earlier events.

The courtroom was filled to capacity with media, supporters of both families and members of the public. Neither side has commented publicly because of a gag order.

The trial is expected to last two weeks. Anthony faces a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison if convicted.

Anthony’s attorneys have criticized the “noise” and “completely false information” surrounding the trial, which has drawn national attention and online misinformation involving a white victim and Black defendant.

There are no Black jurors on the 12-person jury, selected from a pool of over 500 people. During the three days of jury selection, Judge Roach allowed prosecutors to strike the remaining three Black potential jurors. Despite a Batsonchallenge from Anthony’s attorneys, prosecutors successfully argued the three were struck for the race-neutral reason of being educators of school-aged children.

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