Jury selection officially started Monday morning in the Collin County murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, now 19, who stands accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Frisco Independent School District track meet on April 2, 2025.
As The Dallas Express reported last week, proceedings were expected to begin June 1 in the 296th District Court under Judge John Roach. Finding jurors who haven’t already made up their minds will be one of the first real tests of this trial. The case has been inescapable in Texas, let alone the rest of the country – on the news, on social media, and at dinner table conversations for over a year.
Anthony is charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty. His defense attorney, Mike Howard, has maintained from the start that his client acted in self-defense after being physically confronted during that track meet in April. However, at the core of the prosecution’s case is the fact that Metcalf was unarmed when he was stabbed, as confirmed by police reports.
As DX previously reported, Karmelo Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, was sitting under the Memorial High School team tent at Kuykendall Stadium during a district-wide track meet. Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial, asked Anthony to leave his team’s designated tent. Words were exchanged. According to witnesses and police records, Anthony then reached into his bag and warned Metcalf not to touch him. After Metcalf said something else to Anthony – accounts differ on the exact words or the following interaction – Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest. Metcalf collapsed and died at the scene. Anthony fled but was taken into custody a short time later.
Anthony was booked into Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond, which a judge later reduced to $250,000. Soon after, he was released to house arrest at his family’s Frisco home – a development that, combined with a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $500,000 for his legal defense, has sparked public backlash.
A Collin County grand jury later indicted Anthony on a first-degree murder charge in June 2025.
In the months after the stabbing, the noise surrounding the trial turned into something uglier than just another high-profile criminal case. Fake social media accounts pretended to be police and spread lies. Both families had their home addresses leaked online and received threats, per CBS News. Austin’s dad, Jeff Metcalf, reportedly had to quit his job because of it. There was so much online hate that police had to set up extra security at Austin’s funeral.
Despite all the adversity and distractions, Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, graduated from Memorial High School last month, accepting his brother’s diploma on his behalf at the ceremony.
Judge Roach has made deliberate efforts to insulate these trial proceedings from that outside noise. In April, he issued a strict courtroom order prohibiting live streaming, audio and video recording, and any demonstrations inside the courthouse, reported CBS. Courtroom attendees are also barred from visibly reacting, wearing disruptive clothing, or congregating in hallways. Protests are confined to designated areas outside the building, and all attendees pass through security screening enforced by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
Roach had previously issued a gag order in July 2025 covering all parties connected to the case, including both families, citing the serious risk that pretrial publicity posed to a fair trial.
Under Texas law, 17-year-olds are tried as adults, so if Anthony is convicted, he could face life in prison. However, if the jury accepts his self-defense claim, he could be found not guilty and walk free.
The Dallas Express will continue covering the trial as it unfolds.
