A courtroom sketch, provided by Pat Lopez shows Karmelo Anthony, center, at the defense table, the jury on the left and the presiding judge on the right, on Thursday, June 4, 2026, in McKinney, Texas, during the trial of a teen accused of fatally stabbing another during a track meet in suburban Dallas last year. (Pat Lopez via AP)
More than a year after the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, the trial against 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony is underway. Friday (June 5) marks day two, as opening statements began on Thursday before an all-white jury that was finalized and seated on Wednesday. Prosecutors came in hot, rejecting any claims of self-defense and emphasizing that the high school track meet stabbingwas murder.
For context, Karmelo Anthony pleaded not guilty over last year’s stabbing, which stunned an affluent suburb where the pair attended school. The death last year quickly drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. Anthony, now 19, is Black, while the Metcalf was white. According to an arrest report, Anthony told police he was protecting himself when the two got into a confrontation during the meet in Frisco.
The stabbing happened on a rainy morning in April 2025. Witnesses told police the confrontation began when Karmelo Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Austin Metcalf’s team, according to an arrest report. The teens went to different schools in Frisco. When Metcalf told Anthony that he needed to move, Anthony reached inside his bag and allegedly replied:
“Touch me and see what happens,” the report said.
A short time later, Austin Metcalf allegedly grabbed Karmelo Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, the report said.
On Thursday (June 4), prosecutors told jurors Thursday that Karmelo provoked Metcalf from a rival team before fatally stabbing him in the stadium’s bleachers as other students looked on. Prosecutor Bill Wirskye explained to jurors that it was a “senseless murder” and not a case of self-defense. He called it a “sneak, surprise attack” and said Anthony “knows he goaded the murder.”
“He didn’t want a fight,” Wirskye said of Austin Metcalf.
Karmelo Anthony faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
Meanwhile, an attorney for Karmelo Anthony said his client did not instigate the fight with Austin Metcalf. Instead, the lawyer told the all-white jury that it was instead an act of self-defense. In his opening remarks, defense attorney Mike Howard said it was Metcalf who made the first contact.
“In that split second, Melo has a decision to make: how and when to act,” Howard said. “Self-defense is useless if you wait too late to defend yourself. … He reacts in a split second of fear, chaos,” Howard said.
Robert Starr, a track coach at Memorial High School, where Austin Metcalf was a student and athlete, explained to jurors that a tent at a track competition “marks your spot.” The tent, coach said, is similar to a team bench in other sports.
“You just don’t go into someone else’s tent uninvited,” Starr testified.
Coach Starr told the jury that he rushed to the tent when he saw commotion. “I see Austin on the ground and his face is purple, and he has a big hole in his chest,” the coach said, choking up in the witness chair.
Another area track coach, Vincent Hooper, testified that he put his arm around Karmelo Anthony and asked what had happened. Anthony replied that he stabbed someone who had “put his hands on me,” Hooper recalled.
As mentioned, the jury was seated this week under increased courthouse security. Additionally, a Collin County judge set strict rules over the proceedings, including prohibiting attorneys from discussing the case publicly. Meanwhile, dozens of people lined up to get a seat in the courtroom on Thursday.
The parents of both teens have said their children were good students who planned to attend college. Austin Metcalf’s father has condemned those who seized on the race of the teenagers after the killing.
“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Jeff Metcalf said on Fox News’ ‘America Reports.’ “This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”
Authorities have also issued warnings about online discussions surrounding the killing. Frisco Police Chief David Shilson urged people last year to beware of posts spreading “misinformation, hate, fear, and division.”
Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
