Defense rests in Karmelo Anthony murder trial after student witness grilled over inconsistent statements

A 17-year-old male witness admitted under cross-examination he incorrectly stated Anthony was surrounded before the stabbing instead of after.

A courtroom sketch shows Mike Hward, standing, a defense attorney and Karmelo Anthony, left front, sitting at the defense table in opening arguments Thursday, June 4, 2026, in McKinney, Texas, during the trial of a teen accused of fatally stabbing another during a track meet in suburban Dallas last year. (Pat Lopez via AP)

MCKINNEY, Texas (CN) β€” Attorneys for Karmelo Anthony rested their case Monday in his murder trial after prosecutors grilled a defense witness over his inconsistent statements of whether the Black defendant was surrounded before he stabbed an unarmed white teenager at a suburban Texas track meet.

Defense attorneys rested their case after an extended lunch break. Jurors were told to return the following day for closing arguments before being sequestered for deliberations.

Two teenage witnesses testified for the defense on the seventh day of trial. Anthony, 19, of Frisco, hasΒ pleaded not guiltyΒ to first-degree murder in the April 2, 2025, killing of Austin Metcalf, 17, and claims he acted in self-defense.

Collin County District Judge John Roach has asked the media not to identify the young witnesses. One 17-year-old Centennial High School student and teammate testified that Anthony appeared emotional and was crying after the stabbing.

β€œHe was crying and there was a coach comforting him,” the witness said. β€œIΒ would say distraught is the best way to describe it.”

The witness explained the Centennial track team was in a dugout of a nearby baseball field to shelter from rain and that Anthony went to the tent of Memorial High School.

β€œI heard loud voices over there and when I looked, people were not facing the field anymore,” he said. β€œThey were looking back.”

The witness said he walked towards the Memorial tent when he saw someone’s arms reach out and β€œsaw a push” into Anthony.

β€œWhat I saw was Austin pull up his shirt and say he got stabbed,” he testified, adding he did not see the stabbing.

On cross-examination, Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye challenged the witness’s earlier statements that Anthony was surrounded before the stabbing. Prosecutors showed surveillance footage that appeared to show the witness was not looking toward the Memorial tent when the stabbing occurred.

β€œMy impression when we first met you was that you thought when you saw Karmelo surrounded it was before the stabbing?” Wirskye asked.

β€œYes, sir,” the witness said.

β€œThat was actually after the stabbing?” Wirskye asked. β€œWhen you and I met you told me you thought it was before the stabbing?”

β€œI could not really tell,” the witness responded. β€œI thought it was as the stabbing was happening.”

β€œYou know you’re wrong?” Wirskye asked.

β€œYes, sir,” the witness said.

Defense attorneys also called Frisco police detective Beau Riley, who responded to the stabbing and interviewed witnesses. He testified that the knife Anthony carried was legal to possess in Texas, including at stadiums.

Prosecution witnessesΒ testified last weekΒ that Anthony cursed at, provoked and insulted students after being asked to leave the tent. A 16-year-old Memorial High School student testified Saturday that he heard Anthony call the students β€œa bunch of pussies” who were β€œnot going to do nothing about it” when he refused to leave. Defense attorneys maintain Anthony entered the tent to speak with a friend and acted in self-defense when confronted by Austin Metcalf and his twin brother, Hunter.

The witness testified that Metcalf β€œdid not deserve” to be killed and that Anthony committed murder.

Neither side has commented on the case as aΒ gag orderΒ remains in place.

Anthony’s attorneys have criticized theΒ β€œnoise” and β€œcompletely false information” surrounding the trial, which has drawn national attention and online misinformation involving a white victim and Black defendant.

There are no Black jurors on the 12-person jury, selected from a pool of over 500 people. During the three days of jury selection, Judge Roach allowed prosecutors to strike the remaining three Black potential jurors. Despite aΒ Batsonchallenge from Anthony’s attorneys, prosecutors successfully argued the three were struck for the race-neutral reason of being educators of school-aged children.