Update: The defense has rested its case on day 4 of Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial in Texas. The jury will begin deliberations on Tuesday, June 9, after closing arguments.
Anthony, 19, declined to testify in his own defense after the trial resumed on Monday afternoon.
Jury is being dismissed for the day and called back tomorrow for closing arguments from both sides before they deliberate
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) June 8, 2026
Anthony is on trial for the murder of 17-year-old high school football player Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas on April 2, 2025. Anthony is accused of plunging a knife into Metcalf’s heart after the football star asked Anthony to leave Memorial High School’s tent.
Anthony was then a 17-year-old student at Centennial High School. Centennial had its own school tent at the track meet. But Anthony refused to leave the rival school’s tent after being asked 15 times.
Anthony’s defense attorney is expected to seek a plea deal after a witness for the defense changed his story on the witness stand.
Social media – so-called black Twitter – has fried the brains of Karmelo Anthony’s parents. This should’ve never gone to trial. Take a plea a year ago and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Twitter isn’t real life. Delete your account.
— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) June 8, 2026
The witness was expected to say several people “surrounded” Anthony before the stabbing. But he changed his story after viewing a video that shows he wasn’t even in the tent when the incident happened.
The defense called on a teenager who was on Anthony’s track team. The witness said he initially thought he saw Anthony “surrounded” by people in the tent. “I saw the arms go out I see arms and make contact with Karmelo,” he told the jury.
The witness said he wasn’t sure if there was a fight or not. “I was running through all of the possibilities of it where this was a friend or not,” he said. “It got super loud and people started standing up and we’re like what happened?
The witness said he saw Anthony running away. He called it “a light jog” to the right of the bleachers. The witness said he saw Metcalf “pulling up his shirt saying he got stabbed.”
The prosecution got the witness to admit he may not have seen everything that happened.
“Your initial statement to police that you saw Karmelo Anthony surrounded so it had to be after the stabbing?” The witness said yes. The prosecutor continued: “You had a story in your head when we visited, correct? And when you saw the video your eyes were opened to what actually happened, is that right?”
The witness admitted he changed his story after he saw video of the events that day.
The prosecutor said, “My impression when we first met you thought when you saw people surrounding Karmelo Anthony it was before the stabbing?” The witness said yes.
The prosecution added: “That was actually after the stabbing?”
Witness: “I couldn’t really tell.
The prosecution showed the jury video that proves the witness was on the field – not in the tent when the stabbing happened.
Prosecution: “Have you learned how your mind can play tricks on you?”
Witness: “Yes sir.”
Prosecution: “Have you ever been under another team’s tent?”
Witness: “No sir.”
Prosecution: “If you had been under another team’s tent and they asked you to leave, would you?”
“Yes sir.”