Karmelo Anthony, the Texas student athlete who was charged with stabbing a football star from a rival high school to death — and then raised $600,000 in donations, is set to face trial this week.
The killing of Austin Metcalf — who died in his twin brother’s arms in Frisco, Texas, at a track meet in April 2025 — sparked an outpouring of grief.
But what came next turned the case into a national sensation. The suspect, Anthony, retained a big-name Dallas lawyer, and the family started raising money from donation site GiveSendGo.
A family spokesman said last year that the money would go to “Stand with us in the fight against white supremacy.”
The case kicked off a major racial fracas online — with donations pouring in to defend Anthony, who is black.
Donations to Anthony’s legal defense fund have continued to flourish — with more than 70 contributions over the last few days before the trial.
His family said the money would be used for relocation and living expenses, as well as legal defense.
Anthony, 19, and also a high school football player, was later released on $250,000 bail, and his family moved into a $900,000 mansion in a gated community.
Jury selection is slated to get underway Monday morning in the case accusing Anthony of killing Metcalf after the pair got into a dispute over seating at a high school track and field competition in Frisco on April 2, 2025.
Anthony’s lawyers have said he acted in self-defense, and said they will explain why he had a knife on school grounds at the time.
The trial is kicking off after Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, accepted diplomas from Memorial High School on May 21 for himself and for Austin.
Anthony, then a 17-year-old senior from Frisco Centennial High School, got into a fight with Metcalf — who was a student at Frisco Memorial High School — after Metcalf asked Anthony to leave his team’s tent during the meet at the Kuykendall Stadium, prosecutors have claimed.
Anthony allegedly warned Metcalf not to touch him before pulling a knife out of his bag and stabbing Metcalf in the chest.
Anthony then allegedly fled as Metcalf bled out in his twin’s arms.
Anthony is charged with first-degree murder but since he was underage at the time of the alleged stabbing, he doesn’t face the death penalty or even life in prison.
The accused murderer has been released from jail and is on house arrest — a fact which Metcalf’s father, Jeff, has publicly opposed, earning him a gag order in the case.
If convicted, he’ll face between five and 99 years behind bars.