Karmelo Anthony Defense Rests Without His Testimony Before June 10 Closings

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 9

Anthony’s lawyers rested Monday without putting the murder defendant on the stand, sending the Texas track-meet stabbing trial into closing arguments set for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The defense has argued self-defense in the April 2025 death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, but legal analysts said that claim faces long odds after the prosecution’s case and the defense’s limited showing.
Twenty-one prosecution witnesses told jurors Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the Memorial High School tent, with some recalling him saying, “Touch me and you’ll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
Defense lawyers pointed to conflicting accounts of the physical encounter, Anthony’s smaller size and testimony that athletes from different schools often mingled at meets.
The case has drawn national attention, with demonstrations outside the Collin County courthouse and broader debate over Texas self-defense law, race and what happened under the team tent.