Dallas — Opening statements were set Thursday in the murder trial of a former Texas high school athlete accused of pulling out a knife during a track meet and Fatal stabbing A 17-year-old competitor from a rival team is in the stadium stands.
Murder last year The incident caught an affluent Dallas suburb where the teens went to school by surprise and quickly attracted wider attention, in part because of social media posts that exaggerated the issue in racist terms.
Carmelo Anthony, now 19, faces life in prison if convicted of killing Austin Metcalf. According to the arrest report, Anthony told police he was protecting himself when the teens got into a confrontation during a high school reunion in Frisco, a boomtown in the sprawling northern suburbs of Dallas.
A jury was seated this week under tight security at the Collin County Circuit Court, and the judge set strict rules about the proceedings, including prohibiting attorneys from discussing the case publicly.
“We know this case struck a deep chord — here in Collin County and beyond,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said as he announced the indictment against Anthony last year.
The stabbing occurred on a rainy morning in April 2025. Witnesses told police the confrontation began when Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Metcalfe’s team, according to the arrest report. The teens went to different high schools in Frisco.
When Metcalfe told Anthony he needed to move, Anthony reached inside his bag and responded, “Touch me and see what happens,” the report said.
A short time later, Metcalf allegedly grabbed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed the other teen in the chest, the report said.
A police officer said in the report that Anthony told him Metcalf had his hands on him and that he was protecting himself.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, said following the indictment last summer that he expected prosecutors “would not be able to rule out reasonable doubt” that his client may have acted in self-defense once the full details of the confrontation emerged.
The parents of both teens said they are good students and plan to go to college.
Metcalfe’s father condemned those who seized on the teenagers’ race after the killing. Anthony is black. Austin Metcalf was white.
Jeff Metcalf, Metcalf’s father, said in press statements: “This was not a racial thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened.” Fox News “America Reports”.
“This is a human thing,” he said. “This person made a poor choice and it affected his family and my family forever.”
Authorities also issued warnings about online discussions surrounding the murder. Frisco Police Chief David Chilson urged people to be wary of posts that spread “misinformation, hate, fear and division.”