A courtroom sketch shows Karmelo Anthony with his lawyer in front of the judge in a courtroom in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday. Photograph: Pat Lopez via AP
An all-white jury has been selected in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, a Black teenager accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf, a white student, during a high school track meet in an affluent Dallas suburb. The trial, which began this week, has drawn national attention and raised concerns about racial bias in the justice system.
Jury selection sparks controversy
After three days of juror selection, attorneys chose 12 jurors and six alternates from 600 initial summonses. None of the jurors are Black. Defense lawyers accused prosecutors of improperly striking the only three remaining Black prospective jurors, according to a local NBC affiliate. District Judge John Roach accepted the state's explanation that they were removed because they are educators.
The Next Generation Action Network, a Dallas-based civil rights organization, wrote on X: "The prosecution used its final strikes to remove the remaining qualified Black jurors from the jury pool, raising serious concerns about fairness and equal justice. We respect the court, but we will not remain silent. Every person deserves a fair trial and confidence that justice is being administered without bias. We are calling on the court to ensure Mr Anthony's constitutional rights are fully protected."
The incident
The teens attended different high schools in the same affluent Dallas suburb. They were both at the 11-5A championship district track meet during a rainstorm that turned into a downpour. Witnesses said the incident began when Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Metcalf's team.
According to the arrest report, witnesses said that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, "Touch me and see what happens." Metcalf grabbed Anthony, and according to a witness, Anthony allegedly pulled a knife from his bag, stabbed Metcalf, and ran away.
Courtroom evidence
In a packed courtroom on Thursday, jurors were shown grainy surveillance footage of the attack, taken from across the field. The video shows a person, whom the state identified as Anthony, entering the tent. There are quick movements – prosecutors told jurors that that was Metcalf, trying to push Anthony out of the tent. Later, Anthony exits the tent, after appearing to stab Metcalf, and runs away.
The defense on Thursday said there were differing accounts as to what was said in the moments leading to the stabbing. Anthony's attorney, Mike Howard, said Anthony went to the tent to get away from the rain after seeing someone he recognized. Everyone else at the tent attended the same high school as Metcalf. There, the defense said, Metcalf and his twin brother, who are about 6ft 1in and 213lb, confronted Anthony, who is 5ft 8in and about 130lb.
Metcalf made first contact and "grabs, shoves, pushes" Anthony, according to the defense. Then Anthony put his hand in his bag and made a split-second decision to act. Howard claimed that the teen acted in self-defense, reacting to "fear and chaos," while a prosecutor said that Metcalf was stabbed in a "sneak, surprise attack."
Witness testimony
Jurors heard from eyewitnesses, including coaches and an athletic trainer. Vincent Hooper, the track and football coach at Heritage high school and a witness for the state, said of track tents: "You want your kids in your camp." The defense noted that Centennial, Anthony's high school, did not have a tent at the meet. Tiffany Whiteaker, Memorial high school's athletic trainer and a witness for the prosecution, said there was a lot of confusion on the day of the attack because of the rain. Some students were on the field, while others were on the bus and still others under the tent.
Hooper held Anthony after the stabbing. He testified that he told Anthony that his entire life would change if Metcalf died. "He's not going to die," Anthony said, according to Hooper.
Further developments
Before the second day of testimony began on Friday morning, three people were removed from the Collin County courthouse. On Friday, a Frisco school resource officer, Eduardo Cortez, testified that Anthony was cooperative after the incident. He said that he handcuffed Anthony and radioed, "I have the alleged suspect detained." Cortez said that Anthony then said: "I am not alleged. I did it."
Cortez recalled that without being prompted Anthony said: "He put his hands on me. I told him not to. He put his hands on me." While being placed in the police car, Anthony asked if Metcalf was OK.
Jurors watched body-cam footage of the events that Cortez detailed. As Anthony is walking towards the car, the video depicts him sobbing and saying: "He put his hands on me." Moments later, while answering questions, Anthony is no longer crying. Cortez also testified that weapons were strictly prohibited on Frisco school grounds.
Judge Roach has imposed a gag order in the case and barred any electronics, including cellphones, from the courtroom during the trial. The trial is expected to last about two weeks. Anthony, if convicted, faces five years to life in prison.
