Karmelo Anthony updates: Jury reaches a verdict

Jurors have reached a verdict Tuesday in the trial of Karmelo Anthony, who is accused of killing a teenager last year at a Frisco track meet.

They began deliberating Tuesday morning after closing arguments from prosecutors and attorneys for Anthony, who said he was defending himself when he stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Anthony was also 17 at the time.

In addition to the murder charge Anthony is facing, the 12-member jury can also consider a lesser charge of manslaughter, state district Judge John Roach Jr. said Tuesday.

The case has drawn national attention from the start and generated a flood of misinformation and racist vitriol on social media. Anthony is Black. Metcalf was white.

Journalists from The Dallas Morning News will provide live updates throughout the day from the Collin County courthouse in McKinney.

From Monday: Defense rests case after Anthony not called to testify

Jurors in Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial have reached a verdict Tuesday afternoon, the court-appointed public information officer said about 1:45 p.m. They deliberated for nearly three hours.

Families, media members and court watchers were directed back to the courtroom, where the jury’s decision is expected to be announced shortly.

When news of a verdict spread, the crowd outside the courthouse surged forward. “What do we want? Justice.” they chanted, hoisting posters and pumping their fists.

Karmelo Anthony said he was defending himself when he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf. How does that claim work in a trial?

To successfully argue self-defense in Texas, a defendant must reasonably believe the force they used was necessary to protect them from serious bodily injury or death. As in all criminal trials, prosecutors have the burden of proving the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Even in self defense, that burden of proof remains with the prosecution. A person claiming self-defense can’t be the aggressor or engaged in criminal activity at the time.

“A key consideration in self-defense cases is what would an ordinary, prudent person in the same situation do,” Dallas criminal defense attorney Nigel Redmond said. “Would they do the same thing you did if they faced the same threat?”

The crowd outside the courthouse is growing as the jury deliberates inside. Television crews set up equipment as others bowed their heads in prayer circles and found shade beneath trees.

The case has ignited sharp divisions and drawn demonstrators on both sides since the trial began June 1. 

“I just felt that we all needed a little bit more prayer, a little bit more understanding, a little bit more clarity and a little bit more love,” said Jasmine Noelle, who wore a traditional African dress and draped herself in an American flag.

— Sana Muneer and Lola Jahant

During the state’s closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye disputed the defense’s claims and asked jurors to focus, in part, on Anthony’s apparent mindset when he decided to bring a knife to the track meet.

Wirskye said Anthony’s decision to bring the knife, his refusal to leave the tent, the surveillance footage and the witness testimony were enough for a murder conviction. He argued Anthony provoked Austin Metcalf into pushing him — a finding that, if jurors agree, would bar Anthony from claiming self-defense under the jury charge.

“You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoked the shove,” Wirskye told jurors.

Wirskye also acknowledged inconsistencies in the students’ earlier testimony, saying such discrepancies are common in trials. But he argued those differences were ultimately inconsequential because the witnesses were aligned on one key point: Anthony was not acting in self-defense.

Wirskye dismissed the defense’s theory that Metcalf impaled himself on Anthony’s knife as “ludicrous,” but urged jurors to return a verdict of manslaughter if they believed it had merit. When the state finished, jurors were directed out of the courtroom to begin deliberating.

Jeff Metcalf, Austin Metcalf’s father, kept his head down for much of the defense’s closing arguments, but lifted his eyes toward the state’s closing.

Jurors can consider manslaughter in addition to the murder charge against Karmelo Anthony, District Judge John Roach Jr. said Tuesday as he read the instructions to the jury.

If convicted of murder, Anthony could face five years to life in prison. But manslaughter, a lesser charge, carries a sentence of two to 20 years.

Closing arguments have wrapped up, with each side allotted 35 minutes to make their final case. Collin County District Attorney Bill Wirskye waived the state’s right to go first.

Anthony’s lead defense attorney, Mike Howard, began his closing argument by challenging the state’s portrayal of the case, arguing that Austin Metcalf did not have the legal authority to “put his hands on” Anthony.

“A hit, a shove, a push,” Howard told jurors, “’Melo had an absolute right to defend himself from that.”

Howard revisited the Collin County medical examiner’s testimony in closing. He used a highlighter to demonstrate the possible angle of the knife wound on Metcalf, describing it as “awkward.” 

He argued that an intentional, aggressive stabbing motion would have produced a different wound, suggesting instead that the wound was consistent with a hasty action taken in self-defense.

Supporters of Karmelo Anthony brought three large wooden signs, each about four feet long and two feet tall, to the courthouse. Using drills to fasten the sign to yard sticks, they propped up the signs to stand in the protest area.

One of the signs read “united we stand, divided we fall.” Another said, “Self defense is not a crime Karmelo Anthony should do no time.” The third read, “Hands off Karmelo Anthony, let the truth be heard.”

Shortly before 9 a.m., Lorenzo Henry stood outside the courthouse and raised a shofar horn to his lips. Blowing into it, a distinct note emanated through the curved mouthpiece, directly toward the courthouse.

“It’s like bringing a doorbell to heaven, basically calling the armies of God, the angels,” Henry said of the horn’s sound. “Let them gather up around this place because that’s what we need right now.”

Henry, a pastor at Kingdom Application Ministries in McKinney, has stood outside the courthouse every Thursday for six months. He has stood there for several days of the Karmelo Anthony trial, which began June 1, praying for both the Metcalf and Anthony families.

“For the Metcalf family, my heart goes out to them,” Henry said. “Also for the Anthony family, my heart goes out to them, because they’ve been going through this for a whole year waiting on this to happen, and now they’re looking at losing their son in the process.”

His arms raised above his head, Henry swayed to gospel music flowing from a speaker, which was next to a sign that read “Free Hugs & Prayers.”

“No one should be losing children at such a young age, being dead or in the system,” Henry said. “Nothing good can come from this that I see except God do something about it. And so we’re gonna let God be God and just pray that he intervenes like he’s never done before.”

A handful of Karmelo Anthony supporters, all dressed in purple, gathered beneath blue tents Tuesday morning outside the courthouse in McKinney. Hand-drawn signs, decorated with colorful handprints and hearts, lined the entry way. Other signs read “hands off” and “Self defense is not a crime.”

— Lola Jahant and Sana Muneer

Closing arguments are slated to begin shortly. These give prosecutors and defense attorneys a final chance to summarize the evidence and tell jurors how they believe it should be interpreted. Their remarks are not evidence, but they can shape how jurors weigh testimony, exhibits and the legal instructions before deliberations begin.

Here’s a look back at the high-profile trial for those catching up. 

The trial began June 1 with 600 Collin County residents called to jury duty. For comparison, that’s twice the number of people who were summoned for the Tanner Horner death penalty case in Tarrant County, which also received substantial publicity. 

State District Judge John Roach Jr. pared down the pool to the 12-person jury on June 3. Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of striking three Black jurors — the only three Black candidates left in the jury pool — without proper cause. Prosecutors are required to provide a “race-neutral” reason for striking the jurors, and they said it was because all three were educators. The judge sided with prosecutors.

Both sides laid out their cases during opening arguments June 4. Prosecutors argued Anthony provoked the confrontation, seizing on brief physical contact as an excuse to commit murder. Anthony’s defense attorneys argued he made a split-second decision in the face of a threat from teenagers larger than him — an act they say amounted to self-defense.

Witnesses, many of whom are minors, have described the conflict that led to the stabbing and chaotic aftermath. Jurors got their first glimpse of the pocketknife prosecutors say Anthony used to fatally stab Austin Metcalf.

Four students called by the state who saw the confrontation differed on some details, but all agreed on one point. Anthony was the aggressor. The prosecution rested its case Saturday.

On Monday, attention turned to the defense, which called several witnesses, including Anthony’s coach, who said athletes commonly shared tents during track meets. Anthony did not testify in his defense.

The jury heard testimony from two students and a Frisco police officer. 

A 17-year-old Centennial High School student called to testify Monday didn’t witness the stabbing itself, but said he later saw Anthony crying on the track while being comforted by a coach.

During direct examination by lead defense attorney Mike Howard, the student told jurors he was warming up on the field when he noticed a shift in demeanor among athletes gathered under Frisco Memorial’s tent. He testified that he saw what appeared to be a shove, describing a boy — later identified as Metcalf — extending both arms and making contact with Anthony.

Prosecutors challenged the narrative during cross-examination, using surveillance video to demonstrate that parts of his recollection didn’t match the timeline captured on camera.

Related: Behind the gavel: A look into the veteran judge overseeing the Karmelo Anthony trial

Another Frisco student, 17, testified that he saw several people standing around Metcalf and Anthony when the altercation occurred.

“All of a sudden, I saw someone get pushed or punched,” he told lead defense attorney Mike Howard on the stand, adding that he saw the student who was struck make a swinging motion with his arm.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Wirskye again challenged the recollection, citing video evidence which he said showed a different version of events than what the student previously said in his police statement.

After the students testified, Frisco police officer Beau Riley was briefly questioned. Defense attorneys appeared to suggest that a student under Frisco Memorial’s tent may have recorded part of the altercation between Metcalf and Anthony. But the line of questioning ended without establishing whether any such video exists.

Judge Roach then excused the jury for an early lunch break. Court was expected to resume at 12:30 p.m, though it remained closed to the public and media until about 2:20 p.m.

Once court resumed, Roach said closing arguments would begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and that he would allow the jury to deliberate as long as they want. If the jurors call it a day without reaching a decision, they will be sequestered in a hotel, without their phones, until they return to the courthouse, he said.

“We’re getting close, I’m telling ya,” Roach told jurors before dismissing shortly before 2:30 p.m.

On social media, some have called for Anthony to receive the death penalty. That’s not on the table, though. Here’s why. 

Anthony, like Austin Metcalf, was 17 at the time of the stabbing. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that executing anyone for a crime committed while under the age of 18 constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment,” making Anthony ineligible for a death sentence under federal law. 

If convicted, Anthony faces five years to life in prison.

Related: No, Karmelo Anthony will not get the death penalty for the Frisco stabbing. Here’s why

District Judge John Roach Jr. imposed strict rules for the trial, including banning cameras from the courtroom. The Collin County courthouse rules also prohibit cameras throughout the building.

In a court order, Roach said the case has “generated substantial public and media attention and that unrestricted access or activity may compromise courtroom security, juror privacy, and the Defendant’s right to fair trial.”

Related: Will the Karmelo Anthony trial be televised? The News has answers on how to get live updates

Other rules in place, according to the order:

• Attendees must remain silent and respectful while in the courtroom.
• Gestures, facial expressions or other reactions to testimony or court rulings are not permitted.
• Clothing or other items displaying messages, logos, symbols or images related to the case or that are considered to be distracting or potentially prejudicial are prohibited.
• Signs, banners or other such materials also are not allowed in the courthouse.

— Jane Harper and Lana Ferguson