An eyewitness to the fatal stabbing that left 17-year-old Austin Metchalf dead claims that his alleged killer, fellow teenager Karmelo Anthony, was asked to leave his team’s tent “15 times” before the fateful altercation that led to Metcalf’s death.
The 17-year-old witness who attended Frisco Memorial High School with Metcalf, claims he was among several other Memorial students under their team’s tent when Anthony entered their team space wearing the uniform of his school, Frisco Centennial.
The witness claims that Memorial students began telling Anthony that his presence under their tent was inappropriate.
“You probably shouldn’t be here, you need to leave our tent,” the 17-year-old claims his teammates began saying to Anthony.
The youth, whose identity is protected due to his age, says that Metcalf and other Memorial athletes told Anthony to leave around 15 times.
“Touch me and find out,” Anthony allegedly replied.
The teen then claims the arguing persisted for roughly two minutes, culminating with Metcalf giving Anthony a “minor push.” During this time, according to the witness, Anthony had his hands in his bag, which was on his lap. However, the student-athletes assumed Anthony was bluffing.
After the “minor push,” the witness claims Anthony stabbed Metcalf.
Anthony then dropped the knife and ran out of the tent and down the stadium steps to the track.
Metcalf fell onto his back and then stood up, before raising his shirt and revealing a bloody chest wound.
“I think he said, ‘Oh my God,’” he recalled Metcalf saying.
The teen was asked if the Memorial students had ganged up on Anthony or bullied him, to which he replied no, instead claiming that Anthony was the one who “created a problem.”
Another former teammate of Metcalf’s, a recently graduated student named Jalen Matthews, recalled one of the Memorial players telling Anthony, “You have nothing in the backpack, you’re from Frisco.”
Matthews said Anthony was looking off in the distance, and he “clearly knew what he had his mind set on.”
Anthony’s legal team is claiming self-defense and saying that the teen suspect was protecting himself against the unarmed, white football player.
Because Anthony was 17 years old at the time of the incident, he cannot face the death penalty under Texas law. If convicted, Anthony will face 5 to 99 years, or life, in a Texas prison, and an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.