Overview
- The Collin County trial for Karmelo Anthony is set to begin Monday, June 1, 2026, on a first-degree murder charge in the April 2025 fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
- Prosecutors plan to show distant surveillance footage and the knife recovered at the scene as central physical evidence meant to rebut Anthony’s claim that he acted in self-defense.
- Anthony’s defense says he will argue he acted to protect himself and that reasonable doubt remains about who was the aggressor in the tent confrontation at Kuykendall Stadium.
- The case has produced local unrest, protests, threats and doxxing that have raised safety concerns for both families and court staff and led the judge to bar cameras and audio from the courtroom.
- Because Texas treats 17-year-olds as adults for serious felonies, Anthony faces a possible sentence of 5–99 years or life if convicted and the trial outcome could influence public trust in school safety and policing at youth events.