McKINNEY (Texas) — The defense rested on Monday in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, following a short day of testimony about the fatal stabbing Austin Metcalf. Subscribe to this story to enjoy it ad free

Receive unlimited access to exclusive articles and ad-free content. Metcalf was fatally wounded by Anthony after Metcalf ordered him to leave the bleachers of his high school.

Anthony claims self-defense. He has been charged with murder. The sentence is five years up to life. Texas law, however, considers Anthony to be an adult even though he was 17 at time of stabbing. The closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning. After that, the jury will begin deliberations. State District judge John Roach Jr., has ordered that the jury is sequestered in a hotel away from “the outside world”, with no access whatsoever to TV or phones. Only an emergency number will be provided for the family. As prosecutors played 911 recordings and videos of the altercation, they also showed grhic pictures of Metcalf’s injuries. Both Metcalf’s and Anthony’s families were present in the courtroom. The defense focused on inconsistencies within some witness testimony. Metcalf’s attorneys have minimized the issue of race in this case. Anthony, a black man, is white and Metcalf a black man. Both students were athletes with high grades at rival schools across town. Race has become a hot topic on social media in

, and also after there were no Black jurors selected for the case. During the trial a number of witnesses, mostly classmates and team-mates of Metcalf gave their accounts. Their testimony described a rainy afternoon dispute between Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School and Anthony, who was an athlete from Centennial High School. Anthony’s coach said that his team had not brought its own tent for the track event at David Kuykendall Stadium. It is an athletic facility which serves all Frisco schools. The majority of prosecution witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor during the fight before the stabbing. However, their accounts were not consistent. Some witnesses said Metcalf pushed Anthony hard with both hands before stabbing him, while others claimed it was a one-handed jab, or t. Witnesses said that things became heated when Metcalf, or other people, ordered Anthony to leave the tent. They disagreed, however, on whether Metcalf, along with others, such as his twin brother and other family members, were also involved in the attempt to force Anthony out of the tent. Edwin Parra was the 18-year old athlete who was in the tent with Anthony. Prosecutors called Parra the “common thread” between Anthony, Memorial High School, and the athlete. Parra, who tried to distance himself with Anthony during his testimony on Saturday, was shown by the defense photos and social media messages between Anthony and Parra. Roach, Roach’s court, issued a court ruling prohibiting the use of minors as witnesses. In his testimony Monday, Anthony’s 17-year old teammate said that they had sought shelter under the baseball dugout to esce the rain, but were soon told to leave by the baseball coach. It briefly stopped raining. The witness, a rising senior at Centennial High School, said that when the rain started again, Anthony went to the Memorial tent. The trial heard testimony from a number of witnesses who described the events leading up to Austin Metcalf’s fatal stabbing. Meghan Metcalf

According to the witness, while he was attempting to test his spiked track shoes on the field, the teen became aware of the sudden yelling.

When I looked up,… He said, “I heard a noise, not like yelling but louder voices, and when I turned around, I saw people looking back. It caught my attention.” The commotion was enough to make him tell police that his friend may need assistance. He walked slowly closer and saw people pushing each other, arms flailing and yelling louder. He thought that someone was stung by bees, which caused the chaos. He claimed that when he returned to Anthony’s side, the coach was comforting and holding him. The witness overheard Anthony saying, “I told her not to touch him.”

At a previous trial, other witnesses said Anthony warned Metcalf in a similar way before the situation escalated.

The past few days of testimony were often emotional, The witness acknowledged that his prior belief that Anthony was surrounded by people when the stabbing occurred was incorrect. Social media has circulated this narrative. On cross-examination the teen agreed that there were people sitting around Anthony in the tent. When he was re-questioned by the defence, he also admitted that he had not seen a lot of what occurred and didn’t know if Anthony’s actions are justified. Prosecutors argued that Anthony could have stayed under the bleachers if it had started to rain and should have been warming-up with his teammates. Bill Wirskye, the state prosecutor, said that the Centennial team members obeyed the coach’s instructions to leave the track due to the rain. Wirskye asked

, “When someone asks you to go, you do it, right?” The witness teen replied “yes, sir.” A 17-year old Frisco High School student, who is also in his senior year, said earlier that track and field athletes are more social. It’s not unusual for students to enter the tent of another team.

The scene at Frisco High School after the stabbing on ril 2, 2020. NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort Worth NBC Dallas Fort worth

After the witness said he didn’t recall seeing anyone pushed or struck, defense attorney Mike Howard pointed out that the witness made a statement after the stabbing saying “the kid who got hit does a’swinging-like motion’.” The teen witness acknowledged he’d said that, but on Monday he said he could Roach told the jurors to not discuss the case with anyone outside of the deliberations. He also warned them to not look anything up online, such as social media. They “don’t know anything.” Suzanne Gamboa and Maria Guerrero reported from McKinney, while Meredith Yeomans and Suzanne Gamboa were in Austin, Texas. protests outside the courthouse