Testimony in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony resumed Monday, with jurors set to hear more witnesses after prosecutors rested Saturday, court records show. Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing fellow student Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet last year. He has pleaded not guilty and is arguing he acted in self-defense, according to court filings.
Larry Taylor, a former Texas prosecutor and longtime criminal defense attorney, told Fox News Digital that jurors will be asked to weigh far more than physical evidence. “When it comes down to an issue like this, I’m pretty sure the guys are looking at, OK, what was the situation? Was he really in danger? Was he really fearful? Why did he have a knife? Why didn’t he just get up and leave?” Taylor said.
Taylor told Fox News Digital that Texas self-defense law could prove pivotal. “Did Karmelo really have a duty or obligation to retreat if he was being attacked? It’s happening in Texas. Are we not a stand-your-ground state?” he said, suggesting jurors’ interpretation of retreat and fear will be central to deliberations.
The attorney also said race could become a recurring issue during the proceedings, and he noted the jury panel included no Black jurors. Taylor said that could invite scrutiny and potential appellate challenges if the defense believes Black jurors were improperly excluded. “We would be fooling ourselves if we said that certain areas of our state or certain cities were not more prone to be reactive … especially when you have the polarization of black and white,” he said to Fox News Digital.
Taylor pushed back on suggestions that athletes from competing schools would not know one another, saying high school track meets often last hours and foster cross-school relationships. “I’ve been coaching track for 30 years. I ran track in college and it is extremely common for people to develop relationships with people from other schools that they compete against,” he said. He also said the defense will need to explain why Anthony allegedly had a knife and noted that supporters have raised more than $624,000 for his legal defense, adding, “He is fighting literally for his life.”
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
