MCKINNEY, Texas (TNND) — A jury is deliberating Tuesday on whether a 19-year-old is guilty in the stabbing death of a Texas high school athlete during a track meet.
Austin Metcalf, 17, was killed in April 2025. Prosecutors argued that Karmelo Anthony murdered him after being repeatedly told to leave a rival school’s tent.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye questioned why a teenager would bring a knife to a school sporting event, according to The Associated Press.
“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder, plain and simple,” he said.
Wirskye also urged jurors to consider the broader implications of the case, saying, “Ultimately, this case is about accountability. What kind of community do you want to live in?”
Defense attorney Michael Howard, meanwhile, argued during closing arguments that Anthony acted in self-defense after Metcalf confronted him about leaving the tent belonging to Frisco Memorial High School’s team.
Howard told jurors that Metcalf had “no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.”
“Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,” Howard said. “In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.”
Austin Metcalf stabbed and killed during Texas track meet (CNN Newsource)
Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder. Judge John Roach Jr. instructed jurors that they may also consider the lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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If jurors do not reach a verdict Tuesday, they will be sequestered in a hotel without access to their phones.