Karmelo Anthony murder trial reveals Austin Metcalf's last words after teen was fatally stabbed at track meet
The murder trial of Karmelo Anthony got underway today, with prosecutors revealing the final words of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who was fatally stabbed at a Texas high school track meet last April.
Anthony, now 19, stands accused of first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing Metcalf with a folding knife during an argument over seating at a Centennial High School meet in Frisco, Texas.
He has pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defence.
The case has drawn intense national attention, with debates around race and privilege running alongside the legal proceedings, and supporters of Anthony arguing he has been treated unfairly because he is Black.
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What were Austin Metcalf's last words?
According to the Daily Mail, in opening statements, prosecutor Bill Wirskye told the court that Metcalf lifted his shirt after realising he had been stabbed, exclaiming "I've been stabbed," before tumbling down several rows of bleachers. His twin brother Hunter rushed to his aid and held him as he lay dying.
Prosecutors alleged Anthony disposed of the folding knife before attempting to flee the stadium, blending in with other students as they evacuated the area.
"If you're scared and running away in self-defence, why toss the knife?" Wirskye told the jury.
"That knife wasn't used to protect him from harm. That knife was used to harm another. Find this man guilty of first-degree murder."
The trial, which is expected to last around two weeks, got underway after a lengthy selection process in which roughly 600 prospective jurors were questioned beginning Monday.
A jury of men and women, plus six alternates, was ultimately seated - though some candidates were dismissed after indicating they could not set race aside when determining guilt or innocence.
One Black male juror was struck from the panel after standing up during questioning and stating: "I don't know that I could put a brother in jail."
Though both Metcalf's family and the prosecution have insisted the case has nothing to do with race, civil rights group Next Generation Action Network has said it is 'outraged' that none of the final jurors selected were Black.
At least 35 witnesses are expected to testify over the course of proceedings, including student athletes, coaches, and Hunter Metcalf - who was present when his twin brother died and is anticipated to take the stand.
Anthony's defence will lean on a self-defence argument. His lawyer Mike Howard told the court: “In that split second, Melo has a decision to make: how and when to act. Self-defense is useless if you wait too late to defend yourself. He reacts in a split second of fear, chaos.
"After Karmelo defended himself with that knife, he ran. He didn’t stab again. He dropped the knife. He didn’t stab anyone else."
Prosecutors pushed back on that framing in their opening, pointing to the defendant's alleged decision to discard the weapon and flee as evidence of consciousness of guilt.
What happened on the day of the murder?
An arrest report stated that Anthony was sitting under Austin's school's pop-up tent to shield from the rain when he was told to move, while a police officer said the perpetrator claimed he pulled out the knife in self-defense.
While being arrested, an officer referred to Anthony as an alleged suspect in the crime, to which he is believed to have responded: "I'm not alleged, I did it."
The report said per NBC Dallas Fort Worth: "Austin grabbed Anthony to tell him to move and Anthony pulled out ... a black knife and stabbed Austin once in the chest."
Anthony raised more than $600k through a GiveSendGo set up by his family to fight the case.
His father Andrew has claimed in an interview with the New York Post: "He was not the aggressor. He was not the one who started it."
Austin's twin brother Hunter was there at the time, and held his sibling in his arms as he died.
“He was a good kid… He has a good heart, everyone around you knows he’s a great kid. Just one mistake from that dude and [he] just took my brother,” Hunter said in an interview with WFAA.
“He didn’t deserve it. No one deserves a loss from a family like that.”
Thomas Bamford