Karmelo Anthony murder trial: no Black jurors seated in Frisco stabbing case

A 12-person jury with no Black members has been seated for the Karmelo Anthony murder trial in Collin County, Texas. Anthony is charged with fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet.

Jury seated in Karmelo Anthony murder trial after race dispute over struck jurors

A 12-person jury — with no Black members — was seated on Wednesday in Collin County for the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, fox4news.com reports. Anthony, now 18, faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet earlier in 2025.

Police say Anthony and Metcalf got into an argument over seating in the stands. The dispute escalated when Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the chest with a pocketknife.

Race dispute during jury selection

During the second round of strikes, the defence raised an objection after prosecutors moved to exclude three potential jurors. Defence attorneys argued that all three were Black females and "similarly situated" to a white female juror whom prosecutors chose not to strike.

Prosecutors responded that the three women were removed for a non-racial reason: all three had listed their occupations as educators. The prosecution's position is that it does not want educators on the jury, given that the alleged incident took place at a school function involving school-aged children.

Judge John Roach sided with the prosecution and allowed the strikes to stand.

The jury as seated includes one person who teaches at a trade school in Dallas and works as an esthetician. She does not work in a traditional school setting or with high school-aged children, distinguishing her from the three struck women in the prosecution's view.

Attorneys question prospective jurors on race and self-defence

Judge Roach gave both sides one hour and 45 minutes to question the jury pool. Assistant District Attorney Dewey Mitchell told prospective jurors he wanted them to "listen to evidence with an open mind; then follow the law to render a verdict."

Mitchell asked the pool whether they had prior knowledge of the case and whether race could influence their assessment of guilt or innocence. A handful of people said it could, for various reasons. Mitchell noted that in his entire career he had never had to raise the subject of race in this way with a prospective jury.

Several potential jurors were excused during the process. One Frisco ISD educator said the case "hits too close to home." Another said he did not know whether he could send "a brother" to jail. A third cited moral and religious beliefs as a barrier to sentencing someone.

Defence attorney Mike Howard, who addressed potential jurors after lunch, said he would refer to his client by his nickname "Melo," as Anthony's friends and family do. Howard told the pool the case would ultimately turn on whether Anthony had the right to defend himself on the day in question.

Howard also questioned the group about sentencing. No one objected to imposing a five-year prison term — the lower end of the scale for a murder conviction. However, a couple of potential jurors said they would have difficulty sentencing someone to just two years on a lesser manslaughter charge. One man said "it's just too low."

Anthony in court; supporters gather outside

Anthony appeared in court on Wednesday wearing a suit and tie with a purple shirt — the colour his supporters have adopted at court proceedings. His expression was described as stoic throughout, though he was seen taking notes at several points.

About 50 people, including members of the media and members of the public, watched proceedings via a live feed inside the courtroom. A group of Anthony's supporters gathered near the Collin County courthouse in McKinney on Wednesday afternoon, chanting outside the building.

Trial timeline

Jury selection began on Monday, when roughly 500 prospective jurors were called to the courthouse in McKinney and asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. Judge Roach had set a target of having a 12-member jury in place by Thursday, with opening statements to follow.

Judge Roach excused the first 150 prospective jurors after meeting with attorneys on Wednesday afternoon before the second round of strikes produced the final panel.

With the prosecution having prepared a list of 35 witnesses, the trial is expected to last up to two weeks. The defence is set to rely heavily on a self-defence argument, while prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Anthony was not acting to protect himself at the time of the stabbing.

The case drew national attention after it emerged on social media, with the death of Metcalf and the arrest of Anthony feeding debates over bail reform, misinformation and race.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)