Baby-faced Karmelo Anthony heads to court to stand trial for murder of star athlete Austin Metcalf, 17, in case that shocked America - and there are NO black jurors on panel

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and MARYANN MARTINEZ, US TEXAS BUREAU CHIEF Published: 14:13, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 14:27, 4 June 2026 A teenage killer appeared baby-faced in court hours before standing trial for the murder of a 17-year-old athlete that shocked and divided America. Karmelo Anthony, 19, was seen at Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, a Dallas suburb, on Wednesday evening and is due back before jurors at 10am ET Thursday. Anthony wore a suit and had his hair closely-cropped. He appeared stoic and occasionally took notes.  He is accused of murdering Austin Metcalf, 17, in April 2025 after stabbing the athlete at a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium. Metcalf bled out in his brothers arms.  The case shocked America and discussion surrounding it quickly became racially fraught.  Supporters of Anthony said he had been treated unfairly because he is black, while critics said those allegations were used to try and distract from his horrific alleged crime.  Opening statements in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, 19, are expected to begin today after the jury was whittled down to 12 members and six alternates Anthony was charged with murder after he stabbed Austin Metcalf during a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco on April 2, 2025 Anthony admits killing Metcalf but says it was self defense. A panel of 12 jurors will hear opening statements this morning. Anthony and Metcalf, both 17 at the time, had gotten into a confrontation during a rain delay at the sporting event after Metcalf chastised Anthony for standing under a tent that did not belong to his school, the Frisco Police Department said. They allegedly exchanged words before Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf. He fled the scene but was soon tracked down and arrested and has maintained it was self-defense ever since.  The jury was whittled down to 12 jurors and 6 alternates from 500 people on Wednesday, after extensive vetting by both prosecutors and the defense.  None of the panel who will try Anthony are black. Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of striking the final three black jurors because of their race. When asked by the judge why those three jurors were removed, prosecutors insisted it was because of their occupation; all three were educators. Prosecutors are required by law to provide 'race-neutral' reasons for striking a potential juror, and it is up to the judge to decide if it is legal to remove them. Ultimately, District Judge John Roach Jr sided with the prosecution and allowed them to be removed. Earlier in the day, one potential juror identified as black by the prosecution said he would 'have a hard time putting a brother in jail.' Civil rights group The Next Generation Action Network said they were outraged that no black jurors were selected. 'We are deeply disturbed by what we witnessed during jury selection today,' said Minister Dominique Alexander, President and CEO of the Next Generation Action Network told NBC DFW.  'The exclusion of all qualified Black jurors from serving on this case sends a troubling message to the community and raises questions that cannot be ignored. Every defendant deserves a fair trial, and every community deserves confidence that justice is being administered without bias or discrimination.' Anthony has admitted to stabbing Metcalf, but insisted it was in self-defense. Activists are outrage that no black jury members were selected for the trial The teens had gotten into a confrontation during a rain delay at the sporting event, when Metcalf called out Anthony for standing under a tent that did not belong to his school, police said Anthony has yet to explain why he brought a weapon to a school-sanctioned event At least 35 witnesses are expected to take the stand during the trial, including Metcalf's own twin brother, Hunter. The trial is expected to last two weeks, and if convicted, Anthony could be sentenced to up to life in prison.   Anthony has yet to explain why he brought  a weapon to a school-sanctioned event.   However, he has yet to explain why he brought a weapon to a school-sanctioned event. Anthony was released from jail and placed on house arrest after his bond was reduced. A controversial fundraiser set up to help the teenage killer has raised close to $1.4 million to help his family fight the case.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.