A Collin County jury has begun deliberations in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, accused in the April 2, 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet. After prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered closing arguments following
By the time the last witnesses left the courtroom, the case had already grown larger than the Frisco track meet at its center.
Now. a Collin County jury is weighing the fate of Karmelo Anthony. the Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing fellow student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet. Attorneys delivered closing arguments and rested their cases after four days of testimony and evidence. and jurors began deliberating on Tuesday.
Anthony, 19, is charged with murder in the April 2025 death of Metcalf, 17, at a track meet in Frisco, Texas. The decision jurors make will not just determine what happens next for the defendant—it will land with the families who have spent months reliving a confrontation that has been argued publicly in conflicting ways.
The jury must decide whether Anthony intentionally or knowingly caused Metcalf’s death. whether the evidence supports a lesser charge of manslaughter. or whether Anthony acted in self-defense. as his attorneys have argued. If convicted of murder, Anthony could face a sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.
If the jury does not reach a verdict Tuesday, deliberations will continue Wednesday, and jurors will be sequestered.
The trial has drawn national attention, fueled by competing accounts of what happened and by an intense discussion online—an exposure both sides have had to live with throughout the proceedings.
Anthony was released on bond after it was reduced from $1 million to $250,000.
What Anthony is accused of
Anthony attended Centennial High School at the time of the incident and has since graduated. He is accused of fatally stabbing Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School, during a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco on April 2, 2025.
A Collin County grand jury indicted Anthony on a first-degree murder charge in June 2025 after reviewing evidence in the case. Anthony had previously been arrested on a murder charge and later released on bond.
Throughout the case, Anthony has maintained that he acted in self-defense.
What happened at the track meet
A confrontation between the two teenagers began after a dispute during the meet, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Authorities said Anthony told officers he was protecting himself after the incident. Metcalf died of his injuries, and both were 17 at the time.
Prosecutors argue the stabbing was an unjustified attack that stemmed from a disagreement over Anthony’s presence under a Memorial High School team tent during the rainy track meet. The defense says Anthony believed he was threatened and acted to protect himself after physical contact occurred.
What jurors heard during the trial
Prosecutors called 21 witnesses before resting their case Saturday. Jurors heard testimony from students who described Anthony as the aggressor and said he had been asked to leave the tent before the confrontation.
Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, Collin County’s chief medical examiner, testified that Metcalf suffered a fatal stab wound to the heart.
The defense rested Monday without calling Anthony to testify. One of Anthony’s teammates testified, according to the Associated Press, that Anthony appeared “distraught” after the stabbing and repeatedly said, “I told him not to touch me.”
The defense’s witnesses testified that athletes commonly gathered under other schools’ tents during track meets. A Frisco police officer told jurors that Anthony’s pocketknife was legal under Texas law, though it violated school district policy.
How the families have responded
Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has said he believes justice will be served through the court process, while acknowledging that no verdict can bring back his son.
Anthony’s family has urged the public not to prejudge the case. They have previously said they faced threats and harassment after the stabbing.
The sequence the jury must now sort through is stark: prosecutors argue the stabbing was an unjustified attack following a disagreement. while the defense maintains Anthony acted to protect himself after physical contact. Jurors will decide whether the law views what happened as murder, manslaughter, or self-defense.
Where the case stands now
With closing arguments delivered and evidence presented, the question now is no longer what jurors heard, but what they believe. Deliberations began Tuesday in the Collin County case—one that has kept both families. and a wider public. waiting for a verdict that cannot undo the violence at the heart of it.
Karmelo Anthony trial Austin Metcalf Frisco track meet stabbing Collin County jury Texas murder trial self-defense manslaughter