MCKINNEY — A Collin County judge has agreed to reduce the bail amount for the teenager accused of fatally stabbing another student at a high school track meet in Frisco earlier this month.
Judge Angela Tucker ruled Monday morning to lower the bail for Karmelo Anthony, 17, from $1 million to $250,000 with conditions that include being under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor.
Anthony has been in custody on a murder charge since April 2, when he was arrested and accused of killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at the District 11-5A track meet at Frisco’s David Kuykendall Stadium. Anthony has told police he was acting in self-defense.
Greg Willis, the Collin County district attorney, told reporters after the hearing that his office is focused on next steps, which include reviewing Frisco police’s investigation and presenting the case to a grand jury, which will determine whether Anthony will be indicted — and face trial.
“What we are concerned about as prosecutors is justice, truth and accountability, and so we will go where the facts lead us,” Willis said.
Willis said he considers the case to be a “terrible tragedy” not only for Frisco, but the Collin County community as a whole.
“It is the most unnatural thing for a parent to lose their child,” he said. “It’s permanent, it’s profound, it’s certainly premature.
“The Anthony family has had a different kind of loss, but a loss nonetheless.”
Mike Howard, Anthony’s defense attorney, said he feels the judge’s decision was fair. Howard asked during the hearing for Anthony’s bond to be lowered to $150,000.
“It is not supposed to be an instrument of oppression,” Howard said. “It’s not supposed to keep people in jail. It’s not supposed to punish. It’s supposed to ensure that a person shows up to court … and it’s supposed to keep the community safe.”
Howard declined to delve into the specifics of the case, but said there are “two sides to every story” and that after a full investigation, he is confident “the truth will come out.”
“Every Texan has the right to defend themselves when they reasonably fear for their life,” he said.
Howard said he anticipates Anthony’s family will be able to post bond now that the amount has been lowered but said he could not speak to how quickly Anthony would be released.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit, Anthony, a student and football player at Frisco Centennial High School, was waiting out a weather delay under a tent designated for Frisco Memorial High School students — where Metcalf attended school — when Metcalf told him to move.
Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said “Touch me and see what happens,” the affidavit said. Metcalf then touched him, to which Anthony replied, “Punch me and see what happens.”
According to the report, Metcalf grabbed Anthony and again told him to move when Anthony pulled out a knife, stabbed Metcalf once in the chest and ran away.
Anthony later told responding officers he was defending himself, explaining “He put his hands on me, I told him not to” while “crying hysterically,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said Anthony also asked if Metcalf was going to be OK. Metcalf, who bled out in his twin brother’s arms, was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour after the stabbing.
In a written statement released last week, Anthony’s family said they are “sincerely saddened that a life was lost” and asked the public not to rush “to judgment before all the facts and evidence are presented.”
“This will certainly be a long road ahead,” the statement reads, “and during this challenging time, we ask for prayers for both families and we ask for your patience and respect for the legal process as we seek the truth.”
Jeff Metcalf, Austin Metcalf’s father, previously told The Dallas Morning News he feels for the family of the alleged assailant, because “his life is over, his family will be devastated also.”
Jeff Metcalf described his son to be not only an all-district linebacker and the Memorial football team’s MVP, but a member of the National Honor Society with a 4.0 GPA. He dreamed of playing college ball.
“This was going to be his year,” Jeff Metcalf said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Staff writer Julia James contributed to this report.
