Karmelo Anthony’s supporters gather under trees at Collin County Courthouse, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in McKinney. Anthony is charged in the stabbing death of student-athlete Austin Metcalf at a Frisco ISD track meet last year.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
A state district judge on Wednesday hopes to pare down a group of more than 200 prospective jurors to the 12-person panel that will shape the outcome of Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial.
Anthony, now 19, is accused of fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf last year at a high school track meet in Frisco. Both were 17 at the time.
An officer from Collin County Sheriff’s Office stands on the stairway to the front entrance of Collin County Courthouse as people line up to get in the courthouse before Karmelo Anthony’s trial, Monday, June 1, 2026, in McKinney. Anthony is charged in the stabbing death of student-athlete Austin Metcalf at a Frisco ISD track meet last year.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Collin County Courthouse is seen, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in McKinney.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The case erupted on social media, garnering widespread interest in North Texas and across the country, with much of the discourse divided along racial lines. Metcalf was white. Anthony is Black.
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“You hear a lot of stories, and you don’t really know what’s true,” said Ricky Ricardo, who has lived in Frisco since 2015. “I hope there’s justice, but whatever happens now, two families’ lives have been ruined.”
Journalists for The Dallas Morning News will post live updates from the trial at the Collin County courthouse in McKinney.
In the wake of Metcalf’s death, the hashtag “White Lives Matter” trended on social media as extremists called Anthony a “symbol of degenerate Black culture.” Some called for Anthony to be put to death.
Anthony faces up to life in prison and is not eligible for the death penalty because he was a minor at the time of the stabbing, and because prosecutors in Texas can only pursue the death penalty in capital cases.
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Anthony was charged with murder, not capital murder, which only applies to cases in which a murder is committed in tandem with another aggravating factor, such as kidnapping or sexual assault.
When Collin County Assistant District Attorney Dewey Mitchell began asking a prospective jurors how they felt about possibly being selected to sit on the panel.
“I don’t want to,” one man said but added that he would be OK with it. A woman said she was “fine” with being chosen.
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Another woman said she’s an educator with the Frisco school district. She told Mitchell the case hit “a little too close to home” and she wasn’t sure if she was up for the job.
A male in the group said he “didn’t know if he could send a brother to jail” if he was on the panel. Another person said their moral convictions would make it difficult for them to have to decide on a sentence if the defendant is convicted.
Many of the questions Mitchell asked the group focused on how they would react under certain scenarios, such as having to convict a young person. One man said he wouldn’t have a problem convicting a young person, but it would be difficult for him to sentence them.
Members of the public and media watching the proceedings from a screen in another courtroom can’t see the potential jurors. The camera is focused only on Anthony and the lawyers for the prosecution and defense.
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A man enters the Collin County Courthouse, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in McKinney.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The area outside of the Collin County Courthouse was much quieter Wednesday compared to the first day of proceedings Monday. The few people walking in and out of the courthouse said they were there for reasons other than the trial, like to adjust a birth certificate.
Monday had drawn more attention with protesters for both Anthony and Metcalf standing outside the courthouse with posters, instruments and speakerphones. Although police have said race did not play a role in the killing, the case has drawn nationwide social media attention that has reflected deep divisions along lines of race.
The trial and concerns of racial divide bled into a protest Tuesday outside Frisco City Hall, where a “Rally Against Rednecks” drew about 50 counter-protesters, some of whom carried firearms and displayed white nationalist messaging.
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A truck parked at the event displayed the words “White Lives Matter,” along with photos of white Americans who had been killed, including Metcalf and Charlie Kirk.
A truck parked at a protest outside Frisco City Hall on Tuesday displayed the words “White Lives Matter,” along with photos of white Americans who had been killed, including Austin Metcalf and Charlie Kirk. Another digital sign warned of what it described as a Hindu takeover of Texas.
Angela Mathew/Staff
Though the flier advertising the event said it was “an evening dedicated to celebrating the contributions of our local Asian community.” It also urged people to speak out against “trailer-park trash yokels,” language that sparked backlash online and became a rallying point for counter-protesters.
Frisco has become ground zero for a wave of hate against Indian Americans and accusations of a “takeover.”
— Lola Jahant and Lana Ferguson
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The day’s proceedings began shortly before 9 a.m. with state District Judge John Roach Jr. giving prospective jurors an idea of what to expect. The lawyers for each will be given an hour and 45 minutes each to question jurors, Roach said. After a lunch break, the lawyers will begin narrowing the group down to a 12-member jury and a couple of alternates.
Wearing a blue suit jacket and tie, Karmelo Anthony sat at the defense table next to his lead defense attorney, Mike Howard. Anthony’s hair was closely cropped, much shorter than when he was arrested and made his first court appearances.
Members of the media and public were required to watch from a courtroom on the first floor where the proceedings are being streamed on several screens.
About two dozen people came to watch Wednesday, about half as many as showed up on Monday, when jury selection got underway. The lawyers plan to have a jury seated by this afternoon and will deliver opening statements Thursday morning.
Shortly before the trial started on Monday, two groups stood outside the courthouse in the staggering heat.
One group, dressed in purple and shaking tambourines and ringing bells, chanted in support of Anthony — “Self-defense is not a crime.” Anthony’s lawyers are expected to argue that Anthony was defending himself against Metcalf at the April 2, 2025, track meet.
Supporters of Karmelo Anthony gather in front of Collin County Courthouse, Monday, June 1, 2026, in McKinney. Anthony is charged in the stabbing death of student-athlete Austin Metcalf at a Frisco ISD track meet last year.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Across the street, demonstrators spoke into a megaphone and hoisted signs that read “Justice for Metcalf.” Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father, has said repeatedly that race was not a factor in the stabbing, but members of the groups disagreed.
Inside the courtroom, about 600 Collin County residents had been summoned for jury duty in hopes of lawyers finding an unbiased panel. Judge John Roach Jr. emphasized the importance of jurors remaining unbiased and following the law, whether they agree with it or not.
There were no court activities on Tuesday. Roach said he hoped to reduce the group’s size to 250 by Tuesday night, when select members would be notified to return Wednesday.