Why is Carmelo Anthony at the Frisco Athletics meet? Defense witnesses testify in Austin Metcalf stabbing trial
second week Carmelo AnthonyThe murder trial begins on Monday. As the trial progressed, defense witnesses provided new testimony about Anthony’s attendance at the event and the circumstances leading up to the fatal altercation.
Anthony, Texas teen accused of stabbing classmate to death Austin Metcalfe At a high school track meet in Frisco.
Anthony, now 19, is charged with murder in the April 2025 slaying of 17-year-old Metcalf at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas. Prosecutors argued the stabbing was an unreasonable attack, while defense attorneys maintained Anthony acted in self-defense after feeling threatened.
Read more: Carmelo Anthony trial: Witnesses reveal Austin Metcalf’s heartbreaking last words before death
Why does Carmelo Anthony compete in track meets?
Defense attorneys were trying to answer a key question Monday: why Anthony was under the Memorial High School team tent where the confrontation occurred.
A 17-year-old Frisco Independent School District student testified that track meets are often “really social” events, with athletes regularly interacting with students from different schools. Witnesses told jurors that competitors often visited other teams’ areas during games.
So Anthony’s presence in a tent at another school wasn’t necessarily unusual, according to testimony.
Witnesses say Anthony was ‘distraught’ after being stabbed
One of Anthony’s teammates testified Monday that the defendant appeared distraught immediately after the stabbing. According to witnesses, after the confrontation, Anthony said multiple times, “I told him not to touch me.”
Defense attorneys have argued that Anthony felt threatened during the encounter and reacted out of fear rather than intent to kill.
Jurors previously heard testimony from students who attended the meeting and said Anthony was asked to leave the tent before the confrontation escalated. Prosecutors argued Anthony was the aggressor and the stabbing was unjustified.
During cross-examination, defense witnesses acknowledged that students would be asked to leave the tent if asked. The witness also agreed there was no reason to carry a knife to a track meet.
A defense witness also described seeing a confrontation under the tent, telling jurors he observed “someone being pushed or punched or something like that.” The defense attorney asked the witness if he saw “the child who was hit… come back in a swinging motion.”
However, the witness admitted that more than a year after the incident, he struggled to recall precise details and repeatedly said he was unsure of certain aspects of the encounter.
Closing arguments Tuesday
The defense rested Monday after about four days of testimony. The state shelved the case over the weekend.
Closing arguments will be held Tuesday before the jury reaches its verdict. The judge has ordered the jury to be sequestered until closing arguments.
If convicted, Anthony could be jailed for up to 99 years.
