Murder trial begins for Karmelo Anthony, Texas teen accused of stabbing competitor at track meet

The murder trial for a Texas teenager accused of stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in April 2025 is set to begin on Thursday. 

Karmelo Anthony, who is now 19, faces up to a life in prison if convicted in the killing.  

The incident took place in the affluent Dallas suburb of Frisco. Witnesses say that Anthony and Metcalf had an altercation after the victim told Anthony he was sitting in the wrong area. 

The witnesses told local police that Metcalf grabbed Anthony at one point in the altercation to get him to move after Anthony reportedly dared him. Anthony then allegedly pulled a knife on Metcalf and stabbed him once in the chest before running away, the Daily Wire reported.

The case sparked a racially charged culture war because Anthony is Black and Metcalf is White. A fundraiser for Anthony's legal fund has brought in $612,000 so far, the New York Post reported. 

Anthony told police he was protecting himself in the confrontation, the Associated Press reported, citing the arrest report. Following Anthony's indictment last summer, his attorney said that prosecutors will not be "able to rule out the reasonable doubt" that Anthony acted in self-defense when the full details of the altercation are revealed.