An attorney for Karmelo Anthony said his client did not instigate the fight with Austin Metcalf, telling the jury at the start of a packed murder trial near Dallas that it was instead an act of self-defense.
Anthony pleaded not guilty to last year's stabbing, which stunned an affluent suburb where the pair attended school. The death last year quickly drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. Anthony, now 19, is Black, while Metcalf was white.
According to an arrest report, Anthony told police he was protecting himself when the two got into a confrontation during the meet in Frisco, a fast-growing city is dotted by dozens of modern-looking school campuses and gleaming athletic facilities.
But prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors it was a "senseless murder" and not a case of self-defense. He called it a "sneak, surprise attack" and said Anthony "knows he goaded the murder."
"He didn't want a fight," Wirskye said of Metcalf.
The jury was seated this week under increased courthouse security, and a Collin County judge set strict rules over the proceedings, including prohibiting attorneys from discussing the case publicly. Dozens of people lined up to get a seat in the courtroom on Thursday.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Murder trial to get underway over deadly stabbing at Texas high school track meet
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.
A short time later, Metcalf allegedly grabbed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, 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," Howard said.
"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.
Another area track coach, Vincent Hooper, testified that he put his arm around Anthony and asked what had happened.
Anthony replied that he stabbed someone who had "put his hands on me," Hooper recalled.
Anthony faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
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 urged people last year to beware of posts spreading "misinformation, hate, fear, and division."
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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed.