Defense attorney Mike Howard placed much of the blame for Austin Metcalf’s death on the teen himself during closing arguments in Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial, insisting his client acted in self-defense during the deadly confrontation at a Texas track meet.

Anthony, 19, was on trial for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf, who was killed during an altercation at a track and field event at Frisco’s Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025.

As attorneys delivered their final arguments Tuesday, Howard argued that Metcalf had no legal authority to physically remove Anthony from a team tent being used by Memorial High School athletes.

“Austin Metcalf had no legal right to use force to eject Karmelo Anthony from that tent,” Howard told jurors as Anthony listened from the defense table.

According to testimony, Anthony, then a student at Frisco Centennial High School, had been asked numerous times to leave the Memorial High School tent area. Several witnesses testified that Metcalf and other students requested that Anthony move roughly 15 times before the confrontation escalated.

Howard acknowledged that Metcalf had the right to ask Anthony to leave but argued that he crossed a line when he allegedly used force.

“He had the right to ask him to leave, but he didn’t have any legal right to use force,” the defense attorney told the jury.

The defense continued to rely heavily on a self-defense claim, despite the significant challenges that argument faced throughout the trial.

Howard argued that Anthony believed he was in danger and had every right to protect himself after being confronted by multiple students.

“He had an absolute right to defend himself,” Howard said.

“If you wait until it’s too late to defend yourself, it’s meaningless.”

According to witness testimony, the confrontation turned physical when Metcalf shoved Anthony during the dispute. Students testified that Anthony then pulled a semi-serrated folding knife from his backpack and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest.

The defense’s argument drew visible reactions inside the courtroom. One friend of the Metcalf family reportedly shook her head and silently mouthed, “What is this?” while listening to Howard’s remarks.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye pushed back aggressively during his own closing argument, telling jurors that Anthony’s actions went far beyond self-defense.

“You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,” Wirskye argued.

Jurors also heard testimony that Anthony warned Metcalf during the confrontation, telling him, “Touch me and find out,” while keeping a hand inside his backpack.

Some students from Memorial High School testified that they believed Anthony’s behavior helped provoke the confrontation.

Wirskye urged jurors not to view Anthony’s warning as harmless.

“Don’t let the defense turn a taunting, provoking threat into some kind of benign warning,” he said.

The prosecutor repeatedly questioned why Anthony did not simply walk away from the situation before violence erupted.

“Why didn’t he just walk away?” Wirskye asked the jury.

Howard countered by arguing that Anthony felt trapped as several Memorial students, including Austin and his twin brother Hunter Metcalf, surrounded him while he remained seated under the tent.

“Do you turn your back?” Howard asked jurors. “Where you can’t defend yourself if their teammates jump in?”

Before closing arguments began, members of Anthony’s family gathered outside the courthouse, joining hands in prayer as they awaited the jury’s decision.

Jurors began deliberating before noon and were instructed that they could convict Anthony of first-degree murder or consider the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Wirskye reminded jurors that they could only move to the lesser charge if they first unanimously agreed to acquit Anthony of murder.

The prosecutor also urged jurors to focus on Anthony’s state of mind rather than any claimed motive.

“It’s mindset, mindset,” Wirskye said. “He took a knife to a track meet. He of course felt empowered that he was going to come out on top of any encounter.”

A first-degree murder conviction carried a possible punishment of five years to life in prison, while a manslaughter conviction would have exposed Anthony to a sentence of between two and 20 years.

Less than three hours after deliberations began, jurors returned with a verdict, ultimately finding Anthony guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Austin Metcalf.