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UPDATE: Karmelo Anthony has now been found guilty of murder.
Read on for our initial coverage of his defense team’s controversial strategy.
As we previously reported, Anthony was arrested for stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in 2025.
Metcalf died of his injuries, and Anthony was charged with murder.
Anthony’s trial took a shocking turn Tuesday when the teenager’s attorney appeared to place responsibility for the fatal confrontation on Austin Metcalf himself.
Anthony, 19, has pleaded not guilty and maintains that he acted in self-defense.
But during closing arguments, defense attorney Mike Howard delivered a claim that left many observers stunned.
According to NBC News, Howard argued that Metcalf “had no legal right to use force” to remove Anthony from a team tent belonging to another school.
Howard contended that while Metcalf could ask Anthony to leave, he was not legally permitted to physically eject him.
The attorney then doubled down on the defense’s self-defense theory, arguing that Anthony had an “absolute right” to protect himself as he believed he was being subjected to lethal force.
Not surprisingly, the argument did not appear to sit well with supporters of the Metcalf family who were present in the courtroom.
One observer reportedly reacted with visible disbelief as Howard laid out the defense’s version of events.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, have painted a very different picture throughout the trial.
They argue that Anthony escalated what should have been a minor dispute and responded with deadly force during a confrontation that never justified a fatal stabbing. Witness testimony presented during the trial has also challenged Anthony’s claim that he was acting in self-defense.
The case stems from a confrontation that took place in Frisco, Texas, where Metcalf allegedly asked Anthony to leave a team tent occupied by students from another school. The disagreement quickly escalated, ending with Metcalf suffering a fatal stab wound.
Anthony faces a first-degree murder charge and could receive a life sentence if convicted. Jurors have also been instructed that they may consider a lesser manslaughter charge.
With closing arguments now complete, the case is headed to the jury, which must decide whether Anthony acted in lawful self-defense or whether prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was murder.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.