Prosecutor tells jury that teen's killing at a Texas track meet was murder, not self-defense

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MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed by a competitor in a “sneak, surprise attack” at a Texas high school track meet, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday, as a trial opened in a case that stunned an affluent Dallas suburb where the pair attended school.

Dozens of people lined up to get a seat in the Collin County courtroom. The death last year quickly drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. The accused, Karmelo Anthony, now 19, is Black, while the victim, Austin Metcalf, was white.

Anthony told police he was protecting himself when the two got into a confrontation during a track meet in Frisco, a booming city in Dallas' sprawling north suburbs, according to an arrest report.

But prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors it was a “senseless murder" and not a case of self-defense.

“He didn't want a fight,” Wirskye said of Metcalf.

The jury was seated this week under increased security at the courthouse, and a judge has set strict rules over the proceedings, including prohibiting attorneys from discussing the case publicly.

The stabbing happened on a rainy morning in April 2025. Witnesses told police the confrontation began when Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Metcalf's team, according to an arrest report. The teens went to different schools in Frisco.

When Metcalf told Anthony that he needed to move, Anthony reached inside his bag and allegedly replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” the report said.

Robert Starr, a track coach at Memorial High School, where Metcalf was a student and athlete, explained to jurors that a tent at a track competition “marks your spot” and is similar to a team bench in other sports.

“You just don’t go into someone else’s tent uninvited,” Starr testified.

In his opening remarks, defense attorney Mike Howard said it was Metcalf who made the first contact.

"In that split second, Melo has a decision to make: how and when to act. Self-defense is useless if you wait too late to defend yourself. ... He reacts in a split second of fear, chaos,” Howard said.

Starr told the jury that he rushed to the tent when he saw commotion.

“I see Austin on the ground and his face is purple, and he has a big hole in his chest,” the coach said, choking up in the witness chair.

Anthony faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.

Mark Porter, a forensic video analyst, guided jurors through video recorded at the track meet, including some images that were magnified.

The parents of both teens have said they were good students who planned to go to college. Metcalf's father has condemned those who seized on the race of the teenagers after the killing.

“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Jeff Metcalf said on Fox News' “America Reports.”

“This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”

Authorities have also issued warnings about online discussions surrounding the killing. Frisco Police Chief David Shilson has urged people to beware of posts spreading “misinformation, hate, fear, and division."

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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed.