(FRISCO, Texas) — A Texas grand jury has indicted a teenager for first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of another teen at a track meet, in a case prosecutors said has “shaken” the community.
The deadly stabbing occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2 during a track and field championship involving multiple schools in the district.
Karmelo Anthony, a then-17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, was arrested and charged in the murder of Austin Metcalf, 17, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School who police said was stabbed during an altercation in the bleachers at the meet.
A grand jury has since indicted Anthony for first-degree murder, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced Tuesday. Willis said his team had presented evidence for several weeks before the Collin County grand jury returned the indictment. A trial schedule is yet to be set.
“We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond,” Willis said in a statement. “That’s understandable. When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core. But the justice system works best when it moves with steadiness and with principle. That’s what we’re committed to. And that’s exactly what this case deserves.”
Willis’ office noted that 17-year-olds are considered adults in the Texas criminal justice system. If convicted, Anthony faces five to 99 years, or life, in prison, the office said.
The teen has allegedly said he acted in self-defense, according to court records, a claim also raised by his defense attorney.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, called the indictment an “expected and routine step in the legal process,” and said the teen “looks forward to his day in court.”
“It’s only in a trial that a jury would hear the full story, one that includes critical facts and context that the grand jury simply didn’t get to hear,” Howard said.
“We expect that when the full story is heard, the prosecution will not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt that Karmleo Anthony may have acted in self-defense,” he added.
The stabbing occurred under the Memorial High School tent in the stadium bleachers, according to the arrest report. Responding officers said they spoke to multiple witnesses, including one who reported the altercation began after Metcalf told Anthony to move out from under their team’s tent, according to the arrest report.
The witness reported that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, “Touch me and see what happens,” according to the arrest report.
Metcalf grabbed Anthony to move him, according to a witness, and Anthony allegedly pulled out what the witness described as a black knife and “stabbed Austin once in the chest and then ran away,” the arrest report stated.
Anthony allegedly confessed to the killing and officers say he told them he was protecting himself, according to the arrest report.
Following the indictment, Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA that he’s “pleased that we are moving forward.”
“With the first degree murder indictment, it now goes into the court system,” Jeff Metcalf said in a statement to WFAA. “I fully believe that justice will be served for Austin Metcalf. I look forward to the forthcoming trial. But it will never bring my son back.”
Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, spoke out on the incident at a press event in April, saying the family has “been under attack.”
“Whatever you think what happened … my three younger children, my husband and I didn’t do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about,” she said.
Anthony was initially held on $1 million bond following his arrest, though he was released from the Collin County Jail after a judge reduced his bond to $250,000.
As part of his bond conditions, he has been ordered to be on house arrest, be supervised by a parent or designated adult at all times and have no contact with Metcalf’s family, according to court records.
Both the Metcalf and Anthony families have launched fundraisers that have each raised more than $500,000.
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