Jurors heard testimony about a tense confrontation under a school team tent before Austin Metcalf was stabbed.
MCKINNEY, TX — Frisco students told jurors Friday that Karmelo Anthony appeared to provoke a confrontation before Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed at a 2025 track meet, testimony that challenged Anthony’s claim that he acted in self-defense.
The testimony came on the second day of evidence in Anthony’s murder trial at the Collin County Courthouse. Anthony, now 19, is charged with murder in the death of Metcalf, 17, a Frisco Memorial High School student and track athlete. The case has drawn intense public attention because it involved two high school students, a crowded district athletic event and a claim of self-defense that prosecutors are trying to disprove.
Students who were under the Memorial team tent at Kuykendall Stadium described a brief but tense exchange on April 2, 2025, after Anthony, then a Frisco Centennial High School student, was told to leave the area. One student said several people told Anthony that he should not be in the tent. “I also said you should leave,” the student testified. The witness said the exchange became more aggressive as Anthony refused to move. Prosecutors asked whether the group had tried to gang up on Anthony. “No, sir,” the student said. The witness estimated the exchange lasted about two minutes before the stabbing.
Jurors also heard that Anthony was asked to leave the tent many times, with witnesses estimating the number at as many as 15. One student testified that Metcalf told Anthony he needed to leave and that Anthony responded, “Touch me and find out.” The witness said Anthony had his hands in a backpack before Metcalf leaned in to push him. “Austin leans in to push him, and Karmelo stabs him,” the witness said. Prosecutors asked whether it looked like Metcalf was trying to pick a fight, and the witness said no. Asked whether Anthony appeared to be the aggressor, the witness said yes.
The courtroom grew emotional as jurors and Metcalf’s parents watched police body-camera video from the scene. The footage showed officers performing CPR on Metcalf and included the cries of his twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, who was at the meet. Prosecutors also showed jurors a folding 5-inch knife they say was used in the stabbing. A student testified that after Metcalf was stabbed, he fell down the bleachers, got back up, lifted his shirt and saw blood on his chest. The student said Metcalf appeared shocked and said he thought he had been stabbed. The full sequence of who touched whom first remains central to the trial.
The stabbing happened during a rainy morning track and field championship involving Frisco Independent School District schools. Witnesses and court records have said Anthony was under the Memorial High School tent, which coaches described as a team’s assigned space at a meet. Robert Starr, a Memorial track coach, testified earlier that a team tent works like a bench area in other sports. He said athletes from other teams do not normally enter without being invited. The case also has been shaped by public debate outside the courtroom, including online arguments about race, school safety, bail and self-defense. Metcalf was white, and Anthony is Black. Metcalf’s father has said the death should not be treated as a racial or political issue.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty. His defense attorney, Mike Howard, told jurors in opening statements that Anthony did not start the physical fight and reacted in fear during a fast-moving confrontation. Howard said self-defense would have no value if a person waited too long to act. Prosecutors have argued that Anthony provoked the clash and that the stabbing was murder, not lawful self-defense. Under the defense claim, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Anthony was not justified in using deadly force. If convicted of murder, Anthony could face a sentence of up to life in prison.
The court has taken steps to control attention around the case. Judge John Roach has issued a gag order that limits what lawyers and others involved may say publicly. Electronics, cellphones, photography, video recording, audio recording and livestreaming are barred from the courtroom during trial proceedings. Jury selection began June 1, with a large pool called to the courthouse in McKinney. Prosecutors have listed dozens of potential witnesses, and the trial is expected to continue into the coming days. More current and former Memorial students were expected to testify after Friday’s accounts.
Witnesses also addressed speculation about Hunter Metcalf’s role before the stabbing. Students testified that Hunter was on the other side of the tent and was looking at his phone before the violence. They said he became involved only after his brother was wounded. That testimony gave jurors another view of the crowded scene inside the tent, where athletes had gathered during the meet. The accounts added to earlier testimony from coaches who described confusion after the stabbing, with students shouting and adults rushing toward Metcalf. A coach previously said he saw Metcalf on the ground with a serious chest wound.
Anthony was taken into custody after the stabbing. According to court records and prior police accounts, he told officers he was protecting himself after Metcalf put hands on him. The defense has focused on that point as it argues the stabbing followed a physical confrontation. Prosecutors, however, have pointed to witness statements about Anthony reaching into a bag before the stabbing and warning others not to touch him. The jury must decide whether Anthony’s use of the knife was justified under the circumstances or whether prosecutors have proved the murder charge.
As of Saturday, testimony had not concluded, and no verdict had been reached. The next phase of the trial is expected to bring more witnesses and further evidence about the moments before and after Metcalf was stabbed.
Author note: Last updated June 6, 2026.