Frisco track meet stabbing: Jury selection to begin in death of Frisco student

FRISCO, Texas - A case that gripped North Texas and drew national attention, is now moving into the courtroom.

Frisco track meet stabbing

What we know:

It was the kind of story that moved fast. First through Frisco, then across North Texas, and eventually, nationwide.

A fight under a high school team tent during a track meet, along with a knife, and a 17-year-old student-athlete who died in his twin brother's arms.

Now, after months of intense public debate and widespread attention online, the criminal case against Karmelo Anthony is set to enter a new phase as jury selection begins on Monday in Collin County.

The death of Austin Metcalf

The backstory:

Austin Metcalf was a student at Frisco Memorial High School. Police say he was stabbed during a district track meet at Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025. 

Investigators say Karmelo Anthony, who was also 17 at the time, was sitting under a team tent for a school he did not attend. According to eyewitnesses, Metcalf told him to leave.

What happened next will be at the center of the murder trial, as police allege Anthony stabbed Metcalf once in the chest, fatally wounding him.

Metcalf's father, Jeff, later spoke publicly about the loss of his son.

"He was going to turn out to be a great individual."

In another interview, Jeff Metcalf reflected on saying goodbye to his son.

"I told him it's not goodbye, it's see you later."

A case fueled by online debate

Dig deeper:

In the days following the stabbing, the case exploded online. Rumors often moved faster than confirmed facts.

From jail, Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense. He was initially held on a $1 million bond. Twelve days after the incident, however, a judge reduced his bond to $250,000 and ordered him released from house arrest, citing factors that included his lack of a prior criminal record.

Three days later, Anthony's family held a press conference and urged the public to lower the temperature surrounding the case.

"I don't know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial," said Anthony's mother, Kayla Hayes.

Attention intensified further when Austin Metcalf's father attended the press conference and was escorted out by Dallas police after organizers said he was not invited.

Trial moves from social media to the courtroom

Big picture view:

After months of relative quiet, the focus now shifts from online arguments to a Collin County courtroom.

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday and could last three days.

Former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Russell Wilson, who is not connected to the case, says finding jurors who have not heard about the case, or already formed opinions about it, may prove difficult.

"I actually believe you can certainly get somebody who believes that they are unbiased, but whether or not they actually are, you don't necessarily know until the actual case starts unfolding."

Self-defense expected to be central issue

Local perspective:

The defense is expected to rely heavily on a self-defense argument. Under Texas law, once self-defense becomes an issue in a case, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not acting in self-defense.

"If self-defense is an issue in the case, the state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was not self-defense," Wilson said.

For prosecutors, much of the case may come down to what happened in the moments leading up to the stabbing.

"They've got to come in and show, in essence, that the conduct that occurred prior to this incident did not warrant the amount of force that was used."

Strict courtroom rules planned

Court officials are also taking steps to keep the proceedings orderly.

No cameras will be allowed inside the courtroom, and discussions have included limiting other electronic devices as well.

The goal is to prevent the trial from becoming a courthouse spectacle and to minimize outside influence.

"From the lawyer's perspective, part of it is to try to shut out the noise," Wilson said.

What's next:

For months, much of the case has played out in the court of public opinion.

Beginning this week, the focus shifts to a real court, where jurors, not social media, will weigh the evidence and determine what happened under that tent at Kuykendall Stadium.