I’m not sure why it takes 14 months to start a murder trial in Texas but that’s how long it has been since teenager Karmelo Anthony stabbed teenager Austin Metcalf, killing him. Monday, the trial finally got underway with jury selection. Opening arguments are expected on Thursday.
Roughly 200 people were called in for the pool of potential jurors. They were each given a questionnaire to fill out and told they would be notified via text or email if they needed to return on Wednesday for further questioning.
The selection process is expected to last through Wednesday. Testimony should begin with opening statements on Thursday.
The judge is expected to ban all cellphones in the courtroom once testimony begins.
Prosecutors have a list of 35 witnesses to call on, so the trial could last up to two weeks.
Officially, all of that happened behind closed doors and was pretty uneventful, but reporters who were there did see some activity. First, there were dueling protests outside the courthouse.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Collin County Courthouse before Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial began Monday morning.
Supporters chanted in favor of Anthony’s self-defense claim, while others across the street voiced support for Austin Metcalf, highlighting the deep divisions… pic.twitter.com/rhZx47cgZs
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) June 1, 2026
Inside the courthouse the situation was apparently extremely tense. Independent journalist Sarah Fields was there. She has been tightly connected to this case and has even apparently sued Karmelo Anthony’s father for defamation. So there is some bad blood here worth keeping in mind.
Day One: Inside the Karmelo Anthony Trial 🚨
I arrived at the Collin County Courthouse at approximately 6:30 a.m. for Day One of the Karmelo Anthony trial.
The first thing that became apparent was security.
Everyone entering the courthouse had to pass through screening. Cell… pic.twitter.com/RZz02z8LuI
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) June 1, 2026
Here’s some of what she had to say.
Everyone entering the courthouse had to pass through screening. Cell phones and electronic devices were prohibited. The only items I brought with me were a notepad, a pen, and my sunglasses.
After passing through security, I made my way toward the courtroom area. The courthouse features a large, wide hallway leading to the jury assembly area. It was packed. There were so many potential jurors and members of the public present that you could not see the end of the hallway.
Just before reaching the jury assembly area, there is a left turn into the Ceremonial Courtroom, which serves as the public viewing room. It holds roughly 60 people in the gallery…
While we waited, a heavyset man wearing a Hawaiian shirt repeatedly stared in our direction. At one point he sat very close to us. As he walked past me, he quietly said the word “demon.”
Lots of Anthony supporters showed up for a space in a viewing room but then the court decided there was nothing worth watching happening so televisions were never turned on.
Several women who claimed to be from California arrived wearing purple shirts, purple hoodies, jeans, and purple do-rags wrapped around their heads. Others wore tank tops, shorts, hoodies, baseball caps, and other casual attire that appeared inconsistent with what most people would consider courtroom business attire. (purple is Karmelo‘s favorite color)…
When the doors finally opened, I was among the first 10-15 people admitted into the courtroom. I immediately made my way to the front row.
And then we waited.
For another hour and a half…
Not long after, someone informed those gathered in the room that the viewing screens would likely not be turned on.
At one point, a person was escorted out, allegedly for filming prospective jurors.
A short time later, I witnessed sheriff’s deputies escorting an African-American woman out of the courthouse hallway. She was wearing a pink shirt with lace sleeves.
Deputies were accusing her of jury tampering.
I later learned she was allegedly connected to the Anthony family and had reportedly been caught recording members of the jury pool.
With nothing happening inside, Fields went outside instead.
Outside the courthouse, the atmosphere was just as interesting.
Several supporters of Karmelo Anthony were livestreaming on TikTok and wearing Karmelo-themed shirts.
There were also multiple members of the Black Panther movement present.
The other protest seemed to be organized by the group handing out the flyer above. That group appears to be some kind of white identitarian group.
Finding jurors who haven’t heard about this case may indeed be difficult. It got a lot of attention last April. The judge has ordered no audio or video coverage so you won’t be able to follow this on television. Some reporters may get access to watch the trial as it happens but it’s not clear if they’ll be able to provide live tweets or if cell phones will be banned.
This should be a pretty open and shut case. Anthony confessed to the stabbing at the scene, albeit after he tossed the weapon and tried to run. He claimed he acted in self-defense so that’s what this trial is really about. As I described last April, the case for self-defense looks pretty weak to me.
I’m not an attorney but my understanding of self-defense, in Texas and elsewhere, is that deadly force cannot be used unless you have a legitimate fear of being killed. In this case, telling someone to leave and even grabbing them or shoving them is not grounds for a deadly use of force unless the attacker said something to indicate they were attempting to kill you. If Anthony had responded to being grabbed by throwing a punch, that might have been deemed a reasonable and proportionate response by a court, but stabbing someone in the chest is not a reasonable response under the law.
Even reaching into a bag for a knife when he was first asked to leave could be seen as an evidence he planned to escalate to deadly force even before he was touched. And why was a high school kid carrying a knife at a track meet anyway?
This is based on the police report which states that Anthony was sitting under a rival school’s tent, possibly because it had started raining. Austin Metcalf asked him to leave at which point, Anthony reached into his bag and allegedly made a threat along the lines of ‘touch me and see what happens.’
Again, touching someone does not justify deadly use of force under the law. Allegedly, Metcalf shoved Anthony backwards or maybe tried to pull him up at which point Anthony followed through on his threat, pulled out the knife and stabbed him in the chest.
My guess is that Anthony’s defense team is going to tell a very different story. It’s really all they can do. I think we’re going to hear claims of death threats or attempts to punch him or some other violence that’s not reflected in the record. Because absent that he’s going to prison for a very long time.
There are of course lots of other witnesses and the prosecution is planning to call nearly 30 witnesses, probably starting on Thursday. Will any of those witnesses say anything that backs up whatever version of events Karmelo Anthony is telling.
As for Anthony himself, don’t expect him to take the stand. It would be unusual for a defendant in a murder case to subject himself to cross examination.
Stay tuned. I’ll have more to come on this in the coming days.
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