Reporters set up outside of the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, TX, Thursday, June 4, 2026. Proceedings ended Thursday evening about 6 p.m. with witnesses describing the chaotic aftermath inside Kuykendall Stadium, including coaches rushing to aid Austin Metcalf after he was stabbed in the chest and trying to manage the panic around his twin brother Hunter.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Testimony in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial is expected to continue Friday after jurors heard emotional testimony from school track coaches and an analysis from a forensic video expert.
Proceedings ended Thursday evening about 6 p.m. with witnesses describing the chaotic aftermath inside Kuykendall Stadium, including coaches rushing to aid Austin Metcalf after he was stabbed in the chest and trying to manage the panic around his twin brother Hunter as the courtroom listened to a frantic 911 call from the scene.
Court proceedings are expected to start at 9 a.m. and end about 6 p.m. each day. State District Judge John Roach Jr. said he also plans to hold court on Saturday.
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Journalists from The Dallas Morning News will provide live updates throughout the day from the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney.
About 20 people were in line at the courthouse by 6 a.m. Friday in hopes of getting a seat to observe the trial, according to a courthouse security officer. A day earlier the line was double the size by 6 a.m. and had grown to roughly 100 people by 8:30 a.m.
By about 8:15 a.m., there wasn’t much activity outside the courthouse. A few Anthony supporters wearing purple were in the parking lot and protest area.
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Ahead of the trial, State District Judge John Roach Jr. set strict rules on how the approximately 75 seats in his courtroom will be divided. The families of Anthony and Austin Metcalf were each allotted 15 seats, and members of the media got nine. The remaining seats were apparently going to the public and court staff.
Gerald Jackson, an independent journalist from North Carolina, said he was inside the courtroom for the trial on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Jackson attempted to get back inside on Friday but was unsuccessful.
He said he plans on livestreaming coverage from outside the courthouse to his social media followers.
“I feel like that in the climate that we are in, every Black person that’s on trial needs independent media outlets in there to report their side of the story,” Jackson said. “Yesterday, I saw a lot of people saying what the prosecution said, but there were some good things that the defense talked about.”
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Testimony began Thursday in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial after attorneys gave competing opening statements in Collin County. Prosecutors said Anthony taunted 17-year-old Austin Metcalf before pulling a folding knife from his bag and stabbing him in the chest, while the defense said Anthony made a “split-second” decision after Metcalf made the first physical contact.
A courtroom sketch shows the district attorney pointing at Karmelo Anthony, center, 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.
Paat Lopez/Associated Press
Jurors heard from a forensic video analyst about stadium surveillance footage, then from coaches and an athletic trainer who described the team tent as a kind of “home base.” Coaches also described the chaotic aftermath, including efforts to help Metcalf as his color drained and to restrain his twin brother, who was hysterical after the stabbing.
No, the murder trial will not be televised or streamed for the public to view.
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District Judge John Roach Jr.’s imposed strict rules ahead of the trial, including banning cameras from being in the courtroom. The Collin County courthouse rules also prohibit cameras throughout the building.
“The Court finds that this case has generated substantial public and media attention and that unrestricted access or activity may compromise courtroom security, juror privacy, and the Defendant’s right to fair trial,” the judge’s order states.
Other rules in place, according to the order:
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Attendees must remain silent and respectful while in the courtroom.
Gestures, facial expressions or other reactions to testimony or court rulings will not be permitted.
Clothing or other items displaying messages, logos, symbols or images related to the case or that are considered to be distracting or potentially prejudicial will be prohibited.
Signs, banners or other such materials also will not be allowed in the courthouse.
— Jane Harper and Lana Ferguson