Tensions boiled over outside the courthouse Thursday as Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial got underway, with dueling crowds on both sides antagonizing each other as the racially-charged case kicks off in Texas.
Supporters of Anthony and Austin Metcalf squared off near the courthouse entrance, shouting at one another as crowds gathered for the opening day of testimony. Collin County sheriff’s deputies remained nearby and monitored the situation as the groups exchanged heated words.
Anthony, who is Black, is charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of fellow high school student Metcalf, who is White, during a Frisco track meet in April 2025 and has maintained that he acted in self-defense. Both were 17 at the time.
Jurors began hearing opening statements Thursday.
WATCH: Crowds rally outside courthouse during Karmelo Anthony trial
Among those present Thursday was Jake Lang, who received a pardon from President Donald Trump after being charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Lang was involved in one of the verbal exchanges outside the courthouse.
The scene later calmed, and no arrests or physical altercations were immediately reported.
In opening statements reported by FOX 4 Dallas, Collin County prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors the evidence would show Anthony provoked a confrontation with a student he did not know before fatally stabbing him.
“He used a hidden knife, opened in his hand, plunged into Austin Metcalf’s chest causing his death, and then ran away,” Wirskye said.
WATCH: Karmelo Anthony murder trial begins
Wirskye described the killing as a “provoked unjustified murder” and pushed back on two issues that have dominated public discussion of the case.
“This case has nothing to do with race. This case is not self-defense,” he told jurors.
When Metcalf finally “pushed and shoved” Anthony as the confrontation escalated, the prosecutor said, the suspect carried out his “sneak attack.”
Defense attorney Mike Howard countered that Anthony acted out of fear during a rapidly unfolding encounter and urged jurors to focus on the evidence rather than public perception.
“There’s been a lot of noise around this case,” Howard said. “A lot of completely false information.”
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Howard told jurors the evidence would show Anthony was a student-athlete, honor-roll student and teenager working two jobs who found himself in a chaotic confrontation.
According to Howard, Anthony remained seated while Metcalf approached him and Metcalf’s twin brother stood in front of him. Anthony placed his hand inside his bag as the encounter escalated and made a split-second decision as the group was “turning on him.”
“He reacts in a split second of fear and chaos,” Howard said.
Howard argued Anthony did not threaten anyone else, discarded the knife near the tent and made no effort to conceal it afterward. He told jurors they must decide whether prosecutors can eliminate all reasonable doubt, including the possibility that Anthony acted in lawful self-defense.
Prosecutors quickly moved into their case after opening statements, calling forensic video analyst Mark Porter as their first witness.
According to FOX 4 Dallas, Porter, who analyzed surveillance footage from the track meet, walked jurors through video captured from multiple cameras positioned around Frisco’s Kuykendall Stadium.
The outlet reported that jurors were shown grainy surveillance footage from a camera positioned across the field. While software allowed investigators to zoom in on portions of the video, the image quality deteriorated significantly as the footage was enlarged.
According to FOX 4, prosecutors told jurors the footage showed Anthony entering the team tent from behind before a series of rapid movements occurred moments later. Prosecutors argued those movements captured the confrontation between Anthony and Metcalf.
The outlet reported that the video then appeared to show Anthony leaving the tent and running across the stadium area as other students followed behind him and pointed him out. A coach later stopped him, according to testimony presented in court.
FOX 4 reported that still images shown to jurors depicted Anthony in handcuffs being escorted by two police officers while wearing a gray sweatshirt and dark pants.
A large television screen was placed in front of jurors to display the footage. According to FOX 4, Frisco ISD provided investigators with video from five separate camera angles around the stadium.
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After court returned from its lunch recess Thursday afternoon, prosecutors resumed questioning forensic video analyst Mark Porter and continued presenting surveillance footage from the track meet.
According to NBC 5, prosecutors showed jurors additional video evidence, including zoomed-in and magnified footage from the western side of Kuykendall Stadium. One video showed Austin and Hunter Metcalf entering the stadium and walking toward the tents.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Toby Shook sought to highlight the limitations of the surveillance footage. Shook noted that the video consists of a series of still images captured from a distance and does not show everything occurring inside the tent.
Porter agreed that viewers would not be able to identify mouth movements, precise head movements or determine from the footage alone whether an argument had begun before the confrontation. He also acknowledged that rain was falling at the time and that people could be seen carrying umbrellas as they entered the stands, according to NBC 5.
The prosecution next called Memorial High School athletic trainer Tiffany Whiteaker, who testified about the moments after Metcalf was stabbed.
According to NBC 5, Whiteaker told jurors she saw Metcalf earlier that morning before later hearing a commotion and screaming from the stands. She said a trainer ran toward the bleachers while she and a colleague moved onto the field, where they encountered a crowd of students.
Whiteaker testified that she called out to student Hudson Dean, who told her, “He stabbed him and threw the knife into the stands” before pointing to Anthony, according to NBC 5.
The trainer said she alerted Heritage High School coach Hooper before going to assist the victim. Whiteaker testified that she immediately recognized Metcalf and began lifesaving efforts, giving rescue breaths while a colleague performed chest compressions until paramedics arrived.
According to NBC 5, Metcalf’s family became emotional during the testimony. His father, Jeff Metcalf, shook his head while his mother, Meghan, wiped away tears.
Whiteaker told jurors she briefly felt hopeful when Metcalf regained some color, but said that hope faded after she saw the severity of his wound.
Memorial High School track coach Robert Starr later testified about the role team tents play during track meets.
According to courtroom reporting, Starr told jurors that a team’s tent effectively serves as its designated area during competitions, comparing it to a team bench in other sports.
“You just don’t go into someone else’s tent uninvited,” Starr testified.
The state’s fifth witness, Joshua Rebmann, an Army veteran and defensive coordinator at Liberty High School, testified that he was working as a throwing coach at the track meet when the stabbing occurred.
According to NBC 5, Rebmann told jurors that poor weather had driven teams under tents near the bleachers and that he was standing roughly 20 feet from Memorial High School’s tent when he noticed a commotion and realized Metcalf had been injured.
Rebmann testified that he ran to the scene, removed his jacket and used his military training to apply pressure to what he described as a “good-sized wound” in Metcalf’s abdomen.
According to NBC 5, Rebmann said he had to move Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, away from the victim so he could provide aid. He testified that Hunter was “freaking out” as first responders and coaches rushed to help.
Rebmann told jurors he recognized Metcalf’s gasping breaths as a sign that his brain was being deprived of oxygen. Although he did not say so at the time because he did not want to diminish hope among those gathered around the victim, Rebmann testified that he believed Metcalf would not survive.
“I knew Austin was gone,” Rebmann testified, according to NBC 5.
Jurors were shown the jacket Rebmann used to put pressure on Metcalf, with the white inner lining of the jacket stained with blood. They also saw photos of Rebmann responding to Metcalf, as well as two videos showing different angles of him trying to save the teen’s life.
Jurors also listened to a 911 call placed by a coach in the aftermath of the stabbing.
According to NBC 5, the caller requested paramedics at Kuykendall Stadium for a student-athlete who had been stabbed and told dispatchers they were located on the visitor’s side of the stadium.
The caller reported that an Army veteran was applying pressure to the wound and said the victim was beginning to lose consciousness.
“He is not awake and he’s not breathing,” the caller told dispatchers, according to NBC 5.
Jurors also heard that CPR was being administered as people at the scene desperately tried to save Metcalf’s life. Voices could be heard in the background urging him to keep fighting.
NBC 5 reported that one person could be heard repeatedly saying, “Come on,” while another voice said, “There’s a lot of blood. He’s not breathing.”
The outlet reported that what was described as Metcalf’s final gasp for air could be heard on the recording.
Metcalf’s family could be heard crying as the 911 tape was playing. Anthony had his eyes shut during most of the 7-minute 911 call.
After the recording concluded, jurors were shown a photograph of first responders performing CPR on Metcalf.
Security remained exceptionally tight as proceedings got underway. Only 27 members of the public were allowed inside the courtroom, while roughly 100 others waited outside in hopes of gaining access. Everyone entering the courtroom was required to pass through multiple security checkpoints, and court officials scrapped a previously discussed overflow viewing room, leaving many members of the public unable to observe the proceedings.
The surveillance footage could prove particularly important in a case that centers on what happened during a matter of seconds inside the team tent.
Texas defense attorney and legal analyst Jeremy Rosenthal told Fox News Digital that jurors increasingly expect visual evidence in modern criminal trials, making the video a potentially significant piece of the state’s case.
“In the 21st century, I think jurors really expect there to be some type of video evidence, either surveillance or cellphone,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal said one aspect of the case that stands out is the apparent lack of cellphone footage despite the incident occurring at a crowded high school track meet.
“You’ve got a bunch of teenagers and nobody seems to have any cellphone video of this, which is in some ways surprising,” he said. “A picture’s worth a thousand words.”
WATCH: Self-defense claim faces scrutiny in Karmelo Anthony murder case
Rosenthal also emphasized the importance of opening statements, noting that both sides are now attempting to frame the evidence jurors will hear over the coming days.
“The defense is accepting part of the burden here because if they want the jury instructed on self-defense, they have to prove up that split-second statement,” Rosenthal said. “There’s both kind of a technical fight going on at the same time as there’s obviously an emotional fight.”
According to Rosenthal, the testimony that may matter most to jurors will come from witnesses closest to the confrontation itself.
“I sort of view this case like a rock thrown into a pond,” he said. “You’ve got the epicenter, and then you’ve got all the ripples out.”
“The jury’s going to hear a lot of different perspectives, but they’re definitely going to hear some common themes and common patterns,” Rosenthal added. “What’s going to be interesting is, what’s the one person who gets up there and goes against the grain and says something that nobody else has said?”
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According to reporters on scene, a woman wearing a Karmelo Anthony shirt was stopped from entering the courthouse and instructed to turn the shirt inside out before being allowed inside, underscoring the strict efforts to maintain neutrality inside the building.
Metcalf’s parents were seated on the prosecution side of the courtroom, while members of Anthony’s family sat on the defense side. Anthony appeared in court Thursday wearing a gray suit, according to FOX 4 Dallas.
WATCH: Karmelo Anthony supporters rally outside courthouse
Outside the courthouse, supporters on both sides gathered throughout the week, holding signs and chanting as tensions surrounding the high-profile case remained on full display.
A 12-person jury was seated Wednesday after several days of jury selection. None of the jurors selected are Black, according to FOX 4 Dallas. The outlet reported that prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred over race-related issues during jury selection, including a Batson challenge filed by Anthony’s attorneys after several prospective jurors were struck from the panel.
“This case in particular has a lot of disturbing history when it comes to misinformation online, rumors, doxing, things like that,” Rosenthal said ahead of trial.
“Self-defense is a really intricate defense that you have to sort of set up,” Rosenthal previously told Fox News Digital.
Under Texas law, self-defense is considered what attorneys call a “confession and avoidance” defense, meaning a defendant admits to the conduct but argues it was legally justified under the circumstances.
“The crux of the issue is that you cannot provoke the harm and then retreat behind self-defense,” Rosenthal said.
A district court official previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that three people were escorted from the courthouse after attempting to take photographs or video. Photography is prohibited under a standing courthouse decorum order that applies to all proceedings at the courthouse.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, has maintained that the full circumstances surrounding the confrontation have yet to be heard in court.
“We expect that when the full story is heard, the prosecution will not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt that Karmelo Anthony may have acted in self-defense,” Howard said following Anthony’s indictment.
Prosecutors are expected to call roughly 35 witnesses during the trial, which could last up to two weeks. Roach has also imposed a gag order restricting public comments from attorneys, witnesses, investigators and others directly involved in the case.
Anthony was indicted by a Collin County grand jury after prosecutors presented evidence related to the fatal confrontation that unfolded during a track meet at Frisco’s Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025.
According to the arrest report, the confrontation occurred inside a Memorial High School team tent during a weather delay. Investigators allege Anthony warned Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens,” before reaching into a bag and pulling out a knife.
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS FATAL STABBING OF AUSTIN METCALF AT TEXAS TRACK MEET, OFFICIALS SAY
Witnesses told police Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the chest during the encounter. Metcalf later died from his injuries.
According to police records, Anthony told responding officers that he acted in self-defense. Investigators also reported that Anthony made a spontaneous statement after being detained, telling officers, “I’m not alleged, I did it.”
The case quickly became a national flashpoint, fueled by extensive social media commentary, allegations of misinformation, public demonstrations and fierce debate over the circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter.
If convicted of murder, Anthony faces a sentence ranging from five years to life in prison under Texas law.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor, Sarah Alegre, and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
