Karmelo Anthony’s claim of self-defense took some hits on Saturday after several eyewitnesses testified that he “provoked” 17-year-old Austin Metcalf before fatally stabbing him in the chest.
One 17-year-old student-athlete who went to Frisco Memorial with Metcalf, told the court that Anthony, 19, did not act in self-defense. That he kept his hands in his backpack until Metcalf shoved him, and then he responded by stabbing the teen in the chest.
“That’s lethal force against non-lethal,” the witness explained.
One of the key parts of Anthony’s defense, is the claim that Austin and his brother Hunter ganged up on Anthony, forcing him to take the knife out of his bag to defend himself.
However, the witness testified that he never saw Austin or his brother ganging up on Anthony.
Other witnesses describe a scene where Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial, was repeatedly asked to leave the Frisco Memorial tent as many as “15 times.”
A 15-year-old witness claimed that Anthony “tried to provoke us” after being told to leave the tent. “He committed murder,” the witness asserted.
A 16-year-old witness described the moment Anthony entered his team’s tent in detail. After entering the tent and sitting down next to the witness, he claims Anthony asked, “Crazy weather, huh?”
Witnesses claim that the Memorial team told Anthony to leave once he sat down in their tent. But instead, he became aggravated and refused to leave.
“F–k y’all. I’m not going to leave,” Anthony is alleged to have said. “Y’all are a bunch of p–sies. Y’all not going to do anything. Touch me and see what happens.”
The witnesses also claim Metcalf told Anthony, “I’m not going to fight you.”
One Memorial student told a story different from the others, claiming that Anthony was invited to the tent by a teammate. Though, he also stipulated there was no reason to bring a knife to a track event.