Karmelo Anthony’s defense rested Monday without calling him to testify, and the case is set for closing arguments when court resumes at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday, court records show. Anthony is charged with murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf; his attorneys say he acted in self-defense and that he acknowledged stabbing Metcalf, according to court testimony and defense statements.
Legal analysts interviewed on Fox News suggested the decision not to put Anthony on the stand reflected a high-stakes calculation. Joshua Ritter, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, said on the network’s “The Story” that the defense may have been deciding whether Anthony should testify and that the prosecution’s case appeared strong, adding, “The prosecution case went very strongly. The defense case doesn’t look like it’s going well,” according to the broadcast.
Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, told the network on “America Reports” she did not believe the evidence presented rose to the level of self-defense, saying, “I never thought that this case rose to the level of self-defense,” and calling it a “sad, awful, tragic circumstance,” according to the broadcast. Rotunno pointed to student testimony she said undercut the defense, including at least one witness who testified Anthony provoked the confrontation.
Prosecutors called 21 witnesses during the trial, including student athletes, police officers, investigators and the medical examiner, the prosecution said. Multiple students testified at trial that Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave a Memorial High School team tent before the confrontation escalated and recounted statements they attributed to Anthony, including “Touch me and you’ll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me,” according to court testimony. Prosecutors also introduced surveillance video that officials said shows the fatal stabbing.
The trial has drawn national attention and prompted demonstrations outside the Collin County courthouse. Dominique Alexander, president of the Next Generation Action Network, urged supporters outside the courthouse not to be drawn into confrontations, saying, “We do not support chaos. We do not support intimidation. We do not support threats,” according to a statement from Alexander. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have presented competing versions of what happened beneath the Memorial High School tent and whether Anthony’s actions were justified, as the case moves toward jury deliberation.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
