A Texas medical examiner testified at Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial Saturday that the 17-year-old victim, Austin Metcalf, was stabbed through the heart.
Anthony, 19, was charged in connection with the April 2, 2025, stabbing of Metcalf — a student from a rival school — during an altercation at a track meet at a high school in Frisco, Texas. He has pleaded not guilty.
On the trial’s third day, Collin County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, took the stand and reiterated that Metcalf’s cause of death was a stab wound to the chest and the manner was homicide.
Ventura said that the wound was oval-shaped and 2 inches in length, describing it as “gaping.”
She said the wound perforated both the chest bone and the pericardium, the sac that surrounds the heart, and penetrated the right ventricle.
Asked by the prosecution if the stabbing was survivable, Ventura said, “No.”
Ventura also showed several autopsy photos to the jurors, with Texas District Court Judge John Roach Jr. overruling objections from Anthony’s attorney to show some of the images.
Ahead of Ventura’s testimony, Roach said people in the gallery could leave if they wanted to because of its content.
Metcalf’s mother left the courtroom. Some of Metcalf’s friends chose to stay, with several in tears as the medical examiner’s testimony went on.
Ventura was the final witness for prosecutors, who then rested their case.
Within the last few days of testimony, several of Metcalf’s former classmates who witnessed the killing have taken the stand. They said that their friend was stabbed after Anthony sat uninvited under a tent reserved for Metcalf’s school, Memorial High School in Frisco, and refused to leave.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, is arguing that his client was acting in self-defense.
On Saturday, a male student testified that Metcalf was not originally part of the group of students trying to get Anthony to leave the tent, but then he took the lead with the effort.
“Bro, just leave,” Metcalf said, according to the teen. “We don’t want you here.”
The teenager added that Metcalf said he didn’t want to fight and was “calm.”
When asked by prosecutors if Anthony was the aggressor, the teenager said, “Yes.”
“Touch me and see what happens,” Anthony said to Metcalf, according to the teenager.
The student then saw Metcalf fall.
“We only knew what happened when he lifted his shirt and saw a big hole,” the student testified.
It was the witness’ first track meet, he said. His identity is not being made public after Roach issued an order Friday barring public identification of any minor witnesses.
Later Saturday, the defense called a 17-year-old Memorial High School student who witnessed the stabbing.
The witness replied yes when Howard, Anthony’s attorney, asked if he saw Anthony walk up to the tent and greet another student.
Earlier, Adam Linwood, a track coach at Centennial High School, which Anthony attended, said that it’s not unusual for athletes from different schools to socialize during meets.
The teen witness said Hunter Metcalf, the victim’s twin brother, told Anthony to leave in an escalating tone of aggression.
The witness confirmed that he told police that Anthony responded by saying the only person objecting to his presence was Hunter Metcalf.
At some point, Austin Metcalf stood up, and when Anthony reached into his bag, the victim challenged him, saying he knew Anthony didn’t have anything inside, Howard said.
“Austin calls his bluff,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” the witness replied.
The teenager said the dispute he witnessed involved only Anthony and the Metcalf brothers. Asked whether he remembered Anthony saying to Austin Metcalf that as long as he doesn’t touch him, everything will remain “cool,” the witness said, “Something like that.”
Austin tapped Anthony on the shoulder, Howard said, and the witness recalled that Anthony then said that as long as Austin Metcalf didn’t punch him, they were OK.
“In that split second that Melo takes his hand out of his bag, and of course then it was a tragic, awful thing that happened?” Howard said.
The teenager responded again with, “Yes, sir.”
During cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Wirskye asked the witness if Metcalf stepped in to get Anthony to leave the tent, to which the witness said yes.
Asked whether Anthony “provoked this,” the teen replied “Yes, sir.” He was then excused.
The trial will resume Monday.
Racial divisions around the case have propelled it to the national forefront, drawing the attention of both right-wing agitators and civil rights organizations. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white.
“This case has nothing to do with race,” Wirskye said Thursday during his opening remarks. “This case is not self-defense. Unjustified provoked murder — that’s why we’re here this morning.”
Earlier this week, Next Generation Action Network, a civil rights organization that has been advocating in favor of Anthony, denounced the racial makeup of the jurors. Several of the jurors are people of color, but none are Black.
Anthony was 17 at the time of the killing. In Texas, 17-year-olds are considered adults. If Anthony is found guilty, he could face five years to life in state prison.
He posted a $250,000 bond for his release and has since been under house arrest. Representatives for Anthony have created a crowdfunding page, which has raised over $600,000, to help him pay for legal fees and other expenses.
