Prosecutors rested their case Saturday in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, the 19-year-old accused of fatally stabbing Frisco student-athlete Austin Metcalf during a 2025 track meet.
The state rested after calling 21 witnesses, according to CBS Texas’ live trial updates. Anthony’s defense team then moved for a directed verdict, arguing prosecutors had failed to meet their burden of proof. The judge denied the motion and allowed the trial to continue.
Prosecutors are trying Anthony on a murder charge in the April 2, 2025, fatal stabbing of Metcalf, 17, during a Frisco ISD track meet at Kuykendall Stadium. Investigators have said Anthony and Metcalf attended different schools and did not know each other before an altercation under a team tent. Metcalf later died at a hospital, and police arrested Anthony.
The Dallas Express previously reported that jury selection began June 1 in Collin County, nearly 14 months after the fatal stabbing.
Medical Examiner Testifies
Before the state rested, the Collin County medical examiner testified about Metcalf’s stab wound.
The medical examiner said the knife penetrated Metcalf’s heart and that the wound was not survivable, according to the live updates. Metcalf’s family left the courtroom before the testimony began after prosecutors warned that the evidence would be graphic.
Student witnesses also testified Saturday about the confrontation that preceded the stabbing.
One Frisco Memorial student testified that Anthony was in the team’s tent and became more aggressive after students asked him to leave. The witness said Anthony put his hand in a bag and repeatedly said, “Touch me and see what happens,” before Metcalf placed a hand on Anthony’s shoulder.
Another teen witness testified that Anthony and Metcalf exchanged expletives shortly before the stabbing. The witness said Metcalf pushed Anthony but described the shove as not hard.
Defense Presses Self-Defense Claim
Anthony’s defense team has argued that he acted in self-defense.
After the state rested, defense attorney Mike Howard called Centennial High School football and track coach Adam Linwood as a witness. Linwood testified that track meets are more relaxed than football events and that athletes from different schools routinely mingle. He said he knew of no policy preventing students from entering other teams’ tent areas.
Linwood also testified that Anthony was widely known as “Melo,” served as a team-elected football captain, and played defensive back before a shoulder injury ended his season early.
On cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Wirskye asked whether weapons are prohibited at track meets and whether the coach would approve of an athlete stabbing another athlete. Linwood said no. When shown a knife replica, Linwood said there was no reason for an athlete to have a knife at a track meet.
Witnesses Challenge Defense Theory
Earlier testimony from student witnesses focused heavily on whether Anthony acted in self-defense.
One teen witness testified that Anthony was trying to provoke Metcalf before the stabbing and said he did not believe Anthony acted in self-defense. The witness described the stabbing as lethal force against non-lethal force, according to the live updates.
Another witness testified that Metcalf pushed Anthony on the shoulder area with both hands after Anthony refused to leave the tent. The witness said Anthony was still seated at the time, according to the live updates.
Friday testimony also centered on students’ accounts of the moments before and after the stabbing. CBS Texas separately reported that student witnesses described a tense scene inside the tent and told jurors they did not believe Anthony acted in self-defense.
Case Draws National Attention
The trial has drawn national attention since Metcalf’s death, with prosecutors and defense attorneys presenting sharply different accounts of the confrontation.
Jurors previously heard body-camera video in which Anthony acknowledged stabbing Metcalf while also raising self-defense, according to NBC5. Anthony responded, “I’m not alleged, I did it,” after an officer referred to him as the alleged suspect.
The case also drew attention during jury selection after no Black jurors were selected. Anthony is Black, and Metcalf was white. The defense challenged the removal of Black prospective jurors, but the judge allowed the trial to move forward.
Anthony was 17 at the time of the stabbing, which places him in adult criminal jurisdiction in Texas. If convicted of murder, Anthony faces a prison sentence ranging from five to 99 years or life.
