413: Track Meet Murder: The Full Backstory & Details of Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony

What started as a confrontation between two teenagers at a Texas track meet has become one of the most divisive criminal cases in recent memory. Dive into everything that led up to the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, the competing narratives surrounding Karmelo Anthony, and the trial testimony that had people talking nationwide. From explosive witness accounts and claims that Karmelo was already holding a knife before the confrontation began, to the medical examiner's devastating testimony about Austin's final moments, we cover every major development from the courtroom…. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow the show for weekly deep dives into the darkest true crime cases! To watch the video version of this episode, head over to youtube.com/@annieelise. .🔎Join Our True Crime Club & Get Exclusive Content & Perks..🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to both of my weekly true crime series 10 to Life & Serialously with Annie Elise wherever you get your podcasts on the Annie Elise Channel!🍎 Apple Podcasts | Where you can also unlock access to 100+ and growing extra exclusive deep dives.💚 Spotify🔴 YouTube🎙️ All Other Platforms.🚩 Announcements 🌊Summer Merch is HERE! Snag your favorites before the shop closes TODAY ☀️https://annieelise.com/collections/shop-all🖤 Want more Annie? Check out our Summer deals on our Subscription plans today!🖤🔎 Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/annieelise🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3WpfSP8.📸 Follow Annie on Socials Instagram: @_annieeliseTikTok: @_annieeliseSubstack: @annieeliseFacebook: @10toLife.⭐SponsorsVeracity: Head to http://VeracityHealth.co and use code AE for up to 65% off on your order. David Protein: Head to Walmart today to try a bar or stock up on 4-counts of your favorite flavors, like Blueberry Pie and Salted Peanut Butter, sold exclusively at Walmart. Our Place: Visit http://fromourplace.com/SERIALOUSLY and use code SERIALOUSLY for 10% off sitewide. RO-GLPS: Go to http://ro.co/ae. Willie’s Remedy: Order now at http://drinkwillies.com and use code SERIALOUSLY for 20% off of your first order + free shipping on orders over $95..👗 Shop Annie’s Must-Haves! ShopMY: bit.ly/AnnieElise_ShopMy Amazon: bit.ly/AnnieElise_Amazon.🫵🏻 Get Involved or Recommend a CaseAbout Annie: www.annieelise.comFor Business Inquiries: [email protected].📚 Episode Sources ABC News | Austin American-Statesman | Capital B News | CBS News | Daily Mail | Dallas Observer | FOX 4 News | FOX News | Inside Edition | KERA | Law & Crime | NBC 5 DFW | NBC News | New York Post | SportsKeeda | The Sun | TMZ | USA Today | WFAA••••••••••••••••••🚨Disclaimers1️⃣ Some links may be affiliate links, they do not cost you anything, but I make a small percentage from the sale. Thank you so much for watching and supporting me. 2️⃣ Sources used to collect this information include various public news sites, interviews, court documents, FB groups dedicated to the case, and various news channel segments. When quoting statements made by others, they are strictly alleged until confirmed otherwise. Please remember my videos are my independent opinion and to always do your own research. 3️⃣ The views and opinions expressed in this video are personal and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the creator(s). These views are subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time and are not to be held in perpetuity. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this video and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify their own facts.

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• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:03Speaker 01

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• 0:29Speaker 02

  On Wednesday morning, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas, was killed at a track meet.

• 0:38Speaker 03

  Several witnesses, including Metcalf's twin brother, describe how that deadly encounter went down.

• 0:44Speaker 04

  My son is gone and I don't really have words. I've tried to figure out what I was gonna say, but he's just gonna be so missed. I feel sorry for that individual because he's now made a mistake that's gonna cost him the rest of his life. My son watched his brother die in his arms.

• 1:03Annie Elise?

  Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialmente.

• 1:27Annie Elise?

  Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialmente. With me, your host and your true crime BFF, here to talk all things true crime with you today. And you know what happens on Monday, right? It's Deep Dive Monday, where we are going through everything. The rumors, the theories, the speculation, the facts, the trial, everything about this case. And look, I've gotta say, this case, it is polarizing. There is also a lot of division and a lot of controversy out there. It just recently wrapped up the trial phase and so many of you guys have been requesting that I cover this because, like I said, there are a lot of opinions out there.

• 2:10Annie Elise?

  There and I did do an original deep dive episode on this case about a year ago shortly after the entire incident happened. But because so many of you have been DMing and answering my questions about what case, what case, and this one just wrapped, we're going to go back to it because there is new information. The trial has wrapped, the sentencing has happened. And I don't know, it's just one that, like I said, there are so many varying opinions on. Now, if you don't know what I'm talking about yet, let me just tell you. It is the case of Austin Metcalf and Carmelo Anthony. This is a case that happened in Texas back in the spring of 2025, and it has rattled

• 2:55Annie Elise?

  the nation to its core, mainly because of all of the controversy and the hot takes surrounding it. Of course, also because it is two teenage boys whose lives have, one of them ended, the others, the other completely destroyed. And there's just a lot of information that I want to get into. As always, even though this case has been adjudicated now at this point, we will be talking through a lot of the rumors that have been happening, the speculation, some things from early on in the investigation. So do your own research, form your own opinions, just, you know, and I ask that you please keep it civil in the comment section because I know not all

• 3:37Annie Elise?

  of you are going to agree and be on, you know, I think there will be some back and forth. So we're all friends here, guys. Let's just keep it civil. So with that, let's jump right in. Now, before we jump in, I did want to share some exciting news with you guys because it's that time of year. I've already seen the messages start trickling in, but our annual subscription sale is officially here. So if you've been on the fence, or you've been thinking about joining our true crime club, whether that's on Patreon, because you're a video watcher, you want the episodes ad free, you want more access, you want behind the scenes, you want vlogs, giveaways, our 24/7 group chat, all of the things. Now is the time. Also, if you are an Apple Podcast listener, and you just want every single episode completely ad free, plus bonus

• 4:20Annie Elise?

  ...episodes, this is also for you. We only run this promotion once a year and it gives you our lowest pricing of the year, which is why I think so many people are asking like, when's it coming back? When's it coming back? Well, now it is. And for my Patreon users, like I said, you can choose the tier that's right for you. Depending on which tier you join, you'll get access to things like BTS content, bonus content, extra episodes, our 24/7 group chat, giveaways, merch discounts, so much more. And for all of my Apple Podcast listeners, you can subscribe through one click of a button on Annie Elise Plus right in the Apple Podcast app. Just open up the show page, click the button, and you will get all the bonus content over there, the extra episodes, which we have like over 100 right now, plus every episode

• 5:01Annie Elise?

  ad-free, which I know you guys hate ads, so this is the way to get around all of that. However, the deal will not last for long. We only offer this discount once a year and it expires very soon. So if you've been on the fence, now is the time to, you know, jump in headfirst. Head to patreon.com/annieelise to join on Patreon, especially if you are more of a video consumer. Or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, simply open the show page and tap the Annie Elise Plus subscribe button. More content, more access, and no ads. Sounds pretty good, right? So go sign up. It's ending soon. You're welcome. Also, really quickly, in case you had missed it, today is the last day that we

• 5:40Annie Elise?

  will be having any merch sales for all of the exclusive summer merch. The Not a Detective, Just Nosy Tumblr, the new designs on the sweatshirts, the Heller embroidered sweatshirt, so many cute designs that you guys have been asking for. But final day is today and then the merch shop closes and we probably will not be back open until the fall or holiday. So grab those items now. AnnieElise.com. The case begins on April 2nd, 2025, around 10 a.m. Two high school boys, 17-years-old, Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony, were at a track meet in Frisco, Texas. The two of them got into an argument with one another and then the argument turned fatal.

• 6:23Annie Elise?

  Austin was a student at Memorial High School while Carmelo went to Centennial High School. So two separate high schools, but still in the same school district in Frisco. Now, as for the fight itself, in terms of who did what, who started it, who instigated it, nobody really seems to agree on the facts of the case. It's one of those situations where it all really depends on who you're asking and who's retelling the story to you. But so far as like the broad strokes of it go, everyone is mostly in agreement of what really took place. Apparently, there were these different tents that were set up for the different high schools. So everybody at the track meet would really have their own area to hang out with their own classmates and they wouldn't have to be around other people from rival schools or even just other schools, right?

• 7:05Annie Elise?

  According to witnesses, for whatever reason, Carmelo was at Austin's team's tent. And I don't know if maybe he was at this tent because he wanted to talk with somebody that he knew or if he had a reason to be there, but what I do know is that apparently Austin took issue with Carmelo being there. According to one of the witnesses on the scene, Austin went up to Carmelo and told him he needed to leave. He needed to go and find his own team's tent. But instead of listening, Carmelo grabbed his backpack and he reached his hand inside of it. Kind of insinuating that he had something in there, but not really fully showing Austin what it was yet. Just kind of like a threat, you know, putting his hand in, being like, "Oh yeah, I need to." Kind of like that, you get what I mean? But then he allegedly said to Austin, "Touch me and see what happens."

• 7:50Annie Elise?

  And according to the police report, Austin then pushed Carmelo. So then Carmelo said something like, "Okay, punch me and see what happens." And I'll just be clear, I don't know if those were his exact words verbatim, but it was something to that effect. So at this point, things were getting more and more heated and you could really tell that the vibe was off and that these two 17-year-old kids were starting to get angry at each other and tensions were starting to build. Then Austin apparently grabbed Carmelo. And it seemed like maybe he was trying to physically remove him from the tent, like pushing him out or dragging him out, but being like, "I'm gonna get you out if you're not gonna leave," something like that. But then Carmelo took his hand out of the backpack. And he showed Austin what he had been holding on to.

• 8:32Annie Elise?

  And it was something that witnesses described as being a quote "black knife." And I don't know what kind of knife it was, if it was a kitchen knife, a pocket knife, a K-bar knife. I don't really know. Or I don't even know if it was maybe something else. But what the witness described it as being was a black knife. That is what they said. Before anybody could react to this or stop what was happening, Carmelo grabbed this sharp instrument out of his backpack, and he stabbed Austin right in the chest. Once, really hard, right near his chest. Then Carmelo apparently ran away from the tent as soon as he possibly could. He just booked it and fled the scene. However, it of course didn't make this entire situation any less chaotic, right? People were panicking. There was now this seventeen-year-old teenage kid on the ground

• 9:16Annie Elise?

  with this knife-type instrument sticking out of his chest, just bleeding out by the second. I mean, talk about traumatic for everybody involved. Adults, kids, anybody who was there. Now, in a very heartbreaking and harrowing detail, Austin was actually a twin. And his brother Hunter was inside the tent when all of this went down. And I guess Hunter either heard all of the commotion or he saw like the mass panic and everybody running and everybody trying to make sense of what was going on. But he knew that his brother was inside that tent. So when he saw all of this chaos unfolding, he ran over to check on his twin brother Austin. And when he got there, that's when he saw Austin just lying there, barely conscious. So reportedly Hunter laid there with Austin,

• 9:59Annie Elise?

  just holding his twin brother in his arms, waiting for help, hoping that somebody was going to come and fix this and make his brother better and make him conscious again. And somebody did, of course, call 911 and paramedics and first responders rushed to the scene. But Austin's injuries were too serious for them to be able to help him. They tried, I mean, they pulled Hunter away from Austin. They tried giving Austin CPR. They even tried giving him some blood. But unfortunately, the injuries were too serious. Austin was gone. His brother, his twin brother, held him in his arms as he, his twin brother, passed away. It's just heartbreaking at just seventeen years old.

• 10:38Speaker 06

  I don't know. I just, I got a phone call from Hunter. He was screaming that Austin had been stabbed.

• 10:46Speaker 06

  I was at work and so I drove, I work in Grapevine, so I drove up to the hospital straight away. I actually beat the ambulance there.

• 10:55Speaker 06

  Yeah, I saw them have him come out. He was

• 11:00Speaker 06

  on a lot of machines and it didn't take long for them to come in to say that he had passed. So, not sure, senseless act of a boy that was in the wrong tent and my son doing the right thing by telling that boy that he needed to be removed from where he was and

• 11:21Speaker 06

  just doesn't make any sense. I mean, that's my, just because the kid was mad, my son is not here anymore and I don't understand it.

• 11:31Annie Elise?

  Now, I told you that Hunter hasn't spoken out much about all of this, but he has said a little bit and there is one quote from him that I feel like I just need to share with you because it's such a gut punch, but it also is so indicative of that moment and what these boys went through, what this boy particularly went through. He says, quote, "I put my hand on there. I grabbed his hand and I looked in his eyes. I just saw his soul leave and it took mine too." Just heartbreaking, right? I mean, we all hear about the connection that twins have with one another, that you can feel their pain, you can feel their emotion, you can feel everything. So to be there with your twin brother, holding his hand as he takes his last breath and according to Hunter, watching his soul leave his body and feeling

• 12:15Annie Elise?

  your own soul leave your body with him, it is so devastating. It breaks my heart. Now, as for Carmelo, the kid from the other school who stabbed Austin, he took off from the tent, but it wasn't like he was hiding or on the run or anything like that because when the police officers arrived, he was actually standing right there on the track, not seeming like he was trying to make a run for it away from the police, just more so that he tried to get out of the tent. He wanted to get away from the actual scene of the crime and where it all went down, but then he was just standing there on the track while the police officers arrived, not Trying to hide, not trying to make a run for it, just standing there. Meanwhile, he had thrown the murder weapon at some point into the bleachers and the officers were able to recover it while it was still just lying there where he had thrown it.

• 12:59Annie Elise?

  It was right between row nine and 10, not too far from the aisle way. So it seems as though when he fled the tent, he just threw it, trying to get rid of it before maybe reality of everything that was going on set in. And what I mean by that is that maybe he tried to throw it because he was going to take off and go on the run and then he realized he couldn't. And again, that's just my personal opinion. So anyway, it's not like the police had to do this massive search for Carmelo or for the murder weapon. In fact, he was pretty cooperative when the police started questioning him and even when they ultimately arrested him. However, everybody was pretty surprised when they heard what his reasoning for stabbing Austin was because Carmelo was saying that the entire thing happened in self-defense. All right, I feel like we need to just have an honest conversation here in the circle of trust.

• 13:43Annie Elise?

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• 14:28Annie Elise?

  in places my husband doesn't even have service, but it was so easy. It took me 15 minutes, kept my phone, kept my phone number, it was the best. So for a new wireless plan starting at 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/ae. That's mintmobile.com/ae. $45 upfront payment required, equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. The very first police officer who arrived on the scene was actually the first person who dealt with Carmelo directly. And before this officer could even put Carmelo in handcuffs, Carmelo actually said the words, quote, "I was protecting myself." Then, when the officer got on the radio to say that he had the alleged suspect in custody,

• 15:11Annie Elise?

  Carmelo apparently interrupted him and said, "I'm not alleged. I did it." Just seemingly having nothing to hide. Now, at one point during the walk back to the police cruiser, the officer claimed that Carmelo also said to him, you know, "He put his hands on me. I told him not to." Kind of like as a, "Hey, I told him this would happen." Or, "I told him he shouldn't do that, and he did it anyway." Then, at one point, he asked if Austin was okay, or if he was going to be okay. Because apparently, he had no idea that Austin was dying, and then did die. Although, I'm sure he may have suspected that it was a possibility, and that's why he was asking, he certainly didn't know that that had already happened. The truth became clear enough, though, before long. Because Carmelo ultimately ended up being charged with first-degree murder.

• 15:54Annie Elise?

  And of course, I'm going to talk a bit more about the case and some recent developments, but before I do that, I do want to talk a little bit more about Austin. I want to just talk about the kind of kid that Austin was. Because it's so tragic that he was a victim and that he lost his life in this, but he was also so much more than that. And I always think that it's important that we remember people for who they were when they were alive, not just for how they died, right? And like I said, Austin was a twin. He and his twin brother Hunter were very close for their entire lives. Austin was also described as being a peacemaker, somebody who always liked to make sure that everybody was getting along, that everything was good between people, and that everybody was always having a good time. He also had big dreams, dreams that can now never be fulfilled.

• 16:37Speaker 06

  Tell me about Austin. What do you want people to know about your boy? Ah, he was the most amazing kid. Oh, so smart. He had college football. Guys looking at him to play in college, his goal was to play in college. He just wanted to play football. His life was going to the gym and working out and being a leader on his football team. And he just had such ambitions and a drive that it's hard to find in a kid. And he was just such a good spirit, and so many kids loved him. And his brothers lost his best friend.

• 17:15Speaker 06

  They're twins, right? Yeah, identical twins, yeah.

• 17:19Speaker 06

  They are the best of friends, like just... I'm so worried about my son because he's gonna have to face this world alone now because he had a brother that was with him the whole time and now he's gonna have to do it alone and I'm just so worried about him, I really am.

• 17:39Annie Elise?

  Austin was also always looking out for his brother Hunter. He always had Hunter's back, no matter if he was in the right and the wrong, it didn't matter. Austin was only born about four minutes before Hunter, but even though he technically was the older one, and I guess they were born at the same time, like at the same moment, Austin just always seemed like the older and wiser brother. He always wanted to take care of Hunter. He felt like that innate instinct of just protectiveness over his brother. Now, whenever the boys weren't playing sports, they loved to go hunting, especially with their dad. And not only was it a really special bonding activity anytime they got to do it together, but it was also the last thing that any of the three of them were able to do together the weekend before Austin's murder.

• 18:23Speaker 07

  I mean, our relationship is really the tightest I've ever seen in somebody, like, between two human beings. I mean, we did everything together, cleaning the dishes together, did yard work together, sports, you name anything in the world, it's always us two and one thing. So you're always just basically one person.

• 18:40Speaker 06

  You guys just a few minutes apart?

• 18:42Speaker 07

  Four minutes.

• 18:43Speaker 06

  Austin was first. By four minutes, he got stuck in me. Technically, you're bigger brother.

• 18:48Speaker 07

  Yes, ma'am. He does a lot of big brother stuff around. He's always on my back. Even if I'm in the wrong, he'll always take my side no matter what. And so, it's just really heartbreaking to see someone that cares for you that much and does everything by your side no matter what, just pass away like that.

• 19:05Speaker 06

  Your mom told me that you were there?

• 19:06Speaker 07

  Yes, ma'am.

• 19:09Speaker 06

  If you don't mind what happened.

• 19:11Speaker 07

  There was this kid, before I knew his name now, this kid was sitting under our dark tent at track. We asked him to move. He started getting aggressive and talking reckless. And my brother stepped in and said, "You need to move." He's like, "Make me move." Austin grabbed his backpack. This kid, I tried to whip around as fast as I could, but I didn't see the stab. But then I looked at my brother, and I'm not going to talk about the rest.

• 19:40Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 19:41Speaker 07

  Just, that's just what I saw. And I tried to help him.

• 19:47Speaker 06

  It was just senseless.

• 19:50Speaker 07

  It was really senseless, really. I don't know why a person would do that to someone just over that little argument. It's just crazy in this world nowadays how people just up and do that. Like, a man has a family, that man has people that care about them all the time. And he did everything for our family too. He was a strong man. He was a strong kid.

• 20:09Speaker 06

  Austin, obviously, is the son, and also Hunter, who are you talking about here? Yes, sir. Walk me through who Austin was to you. I know that you've said so much about him, I think, in the last 24 hours here. Everyone else has said a lot about him too, about how great of a kid he was. In your eyes, though, just as a father, who was he to you?

• 20:29Speaker 04

  My boys are the biggest blessing in my life.

• 20:34Speaker 04

  God provided them to me.

• 20:38Speaker 04

  God's going to get me through this.

• 20:41Speaker 04

  I had a dream last night.

• 20:44Speaker 04

  And Austin came to me and said, "I'm OK."

• 20:51Speaker 04

  It gives me peace. Doesn't mean I don't hurt, but it gives me great peace.

• 20:58Speaker 04

  So, one of the things, my son Hunter, his ability to stay strong is a character to his brother.

• 21:11Speaker 04

  His brother, they had each other's back. They were tight. I've never seen a bond like that. Being identical twins, technically, Austin was his big brother.

• 21:23Speaker 04

  Those boys were my everything. I had cancer almost 10 years ago. I wasn't supposed to live, but that was my why, to fight. And without those boys, I probably would have succumbed and gave in. But they were in my heart and I fought hard because I wanted to be their father. I wanted to be there for them throughout the years they grow up. And so I can share my wisdom and share my mistakes so they won't do the same. Austin was an outstanding athlete, person, friend, loyal, loving. He would light up the room. He was such a leader naturally on that team. He would fire those guys up.

• 22:06Speaker 04

  He would step on that field and he would become a totally different person. His level of play was above most everyone else. He led the team. He was voted team MVP by his coaches and teammates. He's had multiple coaches, colleges, contact him. He is one of the most outstanding, him and his brother both have been athletes all their lives. From soccer to baseball to jujitsu to football. They did it all and they excelled every time. And I told them, you guys are so lucky because not everyone has your talent. But you have to make sure you take that talent and harness it in the right way.

• 22:49Speaker 04

  And Austin was able to harness many things in his life. Loyalty to his brother. His love for all his friends and family. He was such an outstanding young man. I was so proud. I bragged on my children all the time. Anyone who knows me knows how much my kids meant to me. They were my entire world. My world's a little shattered.

• 23:22Speaker 04

  But I still have Hunter and I always have Austin.

• 23:25Annie Elise?

  Now, one of the biggest questions in this case and what has people so riled up and we're going to get to more of the division of why in a moment here, but one of the biggest questions is how does a 17-year-old boy go from being so innocent and being so loved by family and friends to then not making it out of a track meet alive, especially at the hands of another 17-year-old boy? So I think that these were the questions that a lot of people were asking because Austin's case just felt too close to home for all of these other parents out there. Even if it happened miles away or states away, it felt like if this could happen to him, it could happen to any of our kids. Obviously, this is not about me. I have a 17-year-old son. I live 20 miles south of you.

• 24:07Annie Elise?

  My son's in Frisco every night playing soccer and we have a lot of friends of friends who knew Austin. So the circles got tight and this hit really close to home.

• 24:17Speaker 06

  And I'm just so sorry for you. Can you explain us at all today how you feel? It's just got to be so... The word I keep coming back to, Meghan, is incomprehensible. How could this happen at a track meet? It is.

• 24:33Speaker 06

  He just took my... My son is gone and I don't really have words. I've tried to figure out what I was going to say, but he's just going to be so missed by mostly our family, but this whole community has really wrapped their arms around us and had... If I could say anything to the nation, I would say to make sure that you just hug your babies tight because you don't know when the last time you get to do it.

• 25:10Annie Elise?

  You were there? Thank you, Meghan. Take your time. Now, while I don't think that there's anything I could say or any information that I could uncover that would make this make sense or feel fair, I mean, of course not, but it also is natural to want to understand how something like this happens and what can drive somebody to commit murder. Like, maybe it would be a little bit more understandable if Austin and Carmelo knew one another, if they had some kind of conflict in their past, if there would maybe make sense as to what the motive in all of this was. And in fact, not too long after the stabbing, rumors began to spread that Austin and Carmelo did in fact know one another. In fact, that Austin was Carmelo's longtime bully. And the rumor made it seem like Carmelo had been building up to this for quite a while,

• 25:54Annie Elise?

  or like Austin maybe had somehow brought this on himself. So it was almost a little victim blamey, but people were saying, you know, yeah, Austin was a bully. He bullied Carmelo forever, so it was only a matter of time before Carmelo snapped. That kind of thing. However, what I do want to say through all of the research is that these rumors were complete bullshit. Not substantiated at all. A spokesperson for Carmelo's family even came forward to say that Austin had never bullied Carmelo, that there was absolutely no truth to any of these rumors or any of the gossip. The spokesperson also said, quote, "The disinformation that is going online is hurting this case, and it has to stop." As we know right now, Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony did not know each other.

• 26:38Annie Elise?

  And this same spokesperson has also alluded to saying that there is more to the story.

• 26:44Speaker 04

  Every Texan has the right to defend themselves when they reasonably fear for their life. Self-defense is a protection that applies to each and every one of us. There are two sides to every story. And Carmelo is a 17-year-old kid and an excellent student. He is the captain of his track team. He is the captain of his football team. And prior to this, he was, what was on his mind was what college he was going to go to. This is a tragedy all the way around for both families.

• 27:28Speaker 04

  Rushing to judgment, you know, trial by public perception and trial by media is not how we ensure justice is done. We are confident that after a full investigation, that the truth will come out.

• 27:47Annie Elise?

  Now, I think that we can all believe and trust the spokesperson in this situation, right? I mean, it would probably help Carmelo's case if Austin was his bully. It would be easier for him to argue self-defense if there was a history of Austin picking on him and hurting him. So the fact that Carmelo's family didn't go that route and actually put the kibosh on all of those rumors, and they didn't, you know, glom onto this idea of Austin being a bully, it tells me that they were probably being honest when they said that the boys didn't know one another. They were just two strangers arguing about something that was so unimportant. I mean, about who gets to sit under a particular tent, a simple argument that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Yet somehow it escalated from that

• 28:29Annie Elise?

  to murder. Now, that being said, I do want to share a quote that comes from Austin's dad, Jeff, because he witnessed the stabbing, and he has spoken out about what he saw. Again, it's not like this one quote can make sense of all of the insanity in this case, certainly not, but he has publicly shared some details about the fight and about the stabbing, so that hopefully it provides a little bit more context, and it makes all of this a little bit easier to understand and grasp. And he said, quote, "They were sitting there, and someone was behind them mouthing off, and then they turned around and said, 'Who are you?' And he said, 'A mellow.' And they said, 'Well, you don't belong here. You don't go to Memorial.' He had a centennial tracksuit on, so they said, 'Well, you need to leave. This ain't your spot.' And then some words were discussed that I'm

• 29:13Annie Elise?

  not going to say on camera, but he asked them to leave, and he basically said, 'Make me.'" And then he wound up stabbing him in the heart and killing him all over someone sitting in the wrong spot at a track meet. So yes, it was still completely random, but to hear Jeff tell it, it's not like the boys went from arguing to stabbing out of nowhere. It was like there was some kind of buildup, some kind of escalation. Now, again, why it wasn't ...important of who sat under what tent? I don't know, but it sounds like Austin and his friends were telling Carmelo to get out of the tent and for whatever reason that struck a chord with him, so much so to grab a weapon and attack Austin. Now, what I will say on the opposite side of that is that a lot of people find it difficult to believe that Carmelo would have needed to defend himself.

• 29:58Annie Elise?

  And that's because Austin was apparently a good kid who didn't have a history of violence or any type of aggression. So to them, it seemed strange that he would threaten Carmelo badly enough that Carmelo would feel like his only option was to stab someone to protect himself. That said, Carmelo also didn't have any history of violence. He too was a good kid, a good student, a good athlete, and definitely not the sort of person that you would ever expect to commit a murder. Again, if it really was a murder and not self-defense like he claimed. Carmelo was a good student. He had a GPA of 3.7. He was the captain of the football and the track team. His teammates and his peers all respected him, loved him. He even worked two jobs in what little free time he had. He worked at Foot Locker and he worked at a local supermarket.

• 30:43Annie Elise?

  And as for his family, they had moved to the area just a few years earlier from Baton Rouge. His parents were well-respected. Carmelo was the oldest of four kids. They all had a good family dynamic, so it wasn't like you could make heads or tails of this at a surface level of somebody who had a history or problematic background. I mean, no, both of these boys, 17 years old, good kids, good students, good friends, good families, which I think makes this case even more polarizing when you try to dissect it. Now, this detail might be key, but Carmelo had never been arrested before, not even for something small like loitering, or trespassing, or littering, nothing like that. Apparently, there were just no red flags, no warning signs to suggest that he may have

• 31:28Annie Elise?

  a weapon on his person, that he may use that weapon on another peer at some point. I mean, nothing. However, of course, like I said, this case is divided, and not everybody feels that way. In part, because not everybody is using the same facts. Not everybody is forming opinions using the same information. This episode is Sponsored by Chime. Get more of your money with Chime. With the Chime card, you get 5% cash back in a category of your choice with qualifying direct deposits, from gas to travel to dining. Choose the category that fits where you're spending most that month, then try switching it up next month. If you're spending $1,000 a month on groceries, you could get up to 600 a year back. Plus, you get travel perks like airport lounge access and 24/7 travel concierge included

• 32:13Annie Elise?

  with your Chime card. There are no annual fees, no interest, and no credit check to apply. Join the millions who already are banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com/serialistly. That is chime.com/serialistly. Sign up now, it only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not bank. Banking services and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required. Terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com/disclosures for details. Like I mentioned in the intro, there has been a lot of misinformation and a lot of rumors related to this case. And there have also been a lot of people trying to sort of latch on to this case in order to promote certain agendas or make certain points and take a certain side.

• 32:56Annie Elise?

  Of course, it's important to, yes, raise awareness of certain issues and sometimes pointing to a tragedy and recognizing that there are ways that it could have been prevented is the right way to do that and to achieve that. But it also does feel like, at times, people have sort of ignored the real people who were impacted by Austin's death, just so that they could score points. Because there's one detail that I haven't mentioned so far. And depending on who you ask, it's either a detail that doesn't matter much at all and it's wrong to even focus on it too much, or it's the key issue that makes this entire stabbing make sense. And that detail is that this was a case of a black teen stabbing a white teen. See, not long after Austin's murder, a political candidate named Jake Lang, who is running

• 33:41Annie Elise?

  for the US Senate, organized a protest titled "Protect White Americans." It's also worth mentioning that Jake was one of the pardoned January 6th protesters. So if his name sounds at all familiar to you, that might be why. But anyway, Jake organized the protest. Not long after Carmelo's bail was lowered from $1 million to $250,000. And on April 14th, he was able to pay his bail and he was released to wait for his trial at home.

• 34:08Speaker 04

  I feel it's fair. You know, bond, as the judge said, is not supposed to be an instrument of oppression. It's not supposed to keep people in jail. It's not supposed to punish.

• 34:20Annie Elise?

  Now, of course, there were stipulations to his release. He has to wear an ankle monitor. He can't leave his house without prior court approval. But anyway, that spurred Jake to then organize this protest. And he also created a flyer advertising the protest, which read, "Justin for Austin Metcalf. Demand Karmelo Anthony be put back in prison until trial." Now, trust me, I will be the first person to say, "I understand the feeling that somebody who has been accused of murder should not get bail. There have even been times when I personally have felt like certain people shouldn't be allowed out, especially when a child is involved in the case as a victim." Sometimes there are good reasons for somebody to be held without bail. They might be a flight risk, they might pose a danger to other people, maybe even pose a danger to themselves.

• 35:04Annie Elise?

  I mean, there are a wide variety of reasons. But I think that the whole issue here is the "protect white Americans" thing. And that's a direct quote, okay? I'm not just saying that. That is his quote that he was using. Because Jake didn't want to stop Carmelo from harming just anyone, only white people. And you can see where now politics were really coming into play here. Carmelo's parents argued that he was neither a flight risk nor a danger. And according to them, he didn't even have a passport, so it's not like he could have fled the country. And they said that keeping him on house arrest would allow him to be near his family and friends, who would help, quote, "keep him accountable." Those, again, are their words, not mine. But they say that the people in Carmelo's life will help keep him accountable. Now, on the other hand, some people have argued that even though Carmelo didn't have

• 35:48Annie Elise?

  any prior arrests or convictions, he was allegedly involved in an altercation in school on February 4th of 2025. So, a couple of months prior to the stabbing incident. Unfortunately, I don't know much that has been proven as fact about this altercation, but apparently, it wasn't serious enough for law enforcement. To get involved. I did see some rumors floating around that he allegedly had brought a knife to school once before, but I couldn't find anything to confirm it is true. And even if that did really happen and it was true, I don't know if that was the February incident that is being referred to, or if maybe that was a separate unrelated incident. But all to say, everybody had an opinion in this. Everybody had a different take on whether

• 36:29Annie Elise?

  it was fair or not for Carmelo to be out on bail at this point. And my personal opinion is that I see both sides of the argument. I see Austin's friends and family and advocates wanting Carmelo to remain behind bars because he's a threat, because he's impulsive, he reacted so quickly and so dangerously, and that is scary, and that is risky and dangerous. Yet, I also see Carmelo's side of the argument and his parents and him saying, he's never had a bad history, he's a good student, good friend, he was provoked, this was self-defense, we'll put the ankle monitor on him, let him remain at home with his family, we will keep him accountable. I see both sides to it. And that is why it is so great that we have a judge who decides things in situations like this and not peers. And while there has been

• 37:14Annie Elise?

  so much division out there about race and the politics of it all, I will say, Austin's dad, Jeff, has been defending Carmelo. Well, kind of. I mean, obviously, it's not like he's okay with the fact that Carmelo stabbed his son, obviously not, not at all. But he has come forward to tell people to stop making this political and about race, that this is not what this case should be about. Jeff even reached out directly to Jake Ling, the guy who wants to be the US Senator who put that whole Protect White Americans protest together. And he told him, hey, take Austin's name and school picture off of your website, take it off of your materials. I don't want Austin to be a part of anything that you're stirring up. Instead, he wanted the focus to solely be on getting Carmelo to trial and getting

• 37:59Annie Elise?

  justice for Austin. That's it.

• 38:02Speaker 04

  I want to clarify something right off the start because I've already heard some rumors, gossip. This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing.

• 38:11Annie Elise?

  Now, I think we can all agree, the fact that Austin's family can't even focus on laying him to rest and grieving properly because they have to tell people who are claiming to be their supporters to stop is insane. If you are a supporter, leave the family alone if that's what they're requesting. And even though Jeff spoke out against it, the protest happened on April 19th. The organizer spoke with Jeff directly, and Jeff was not having it.

• 38:37Speaker 04

  Yes, sir. What can I do for you?

• 38:38Speaker 03

  Jeff, first of all, my entire heart rests in your hands. I would be in my position, not even if somebody even knew your son, but somebody that shares the same understanding. I grew up as a 17-year-old young white man too, and I grew up in fear of my life around black people because they were killing and robbing people around me all the time. And I don't understand, as I was a father, you could sit idly by and not condemn the culture that killed your son. There is an epidemic problem in this country, and your voice could be one of the loudest voices in this country, but you've chosen to recoil out of fear and continue the suppression. Why will you not stand with me and with the rest of the people? We're not calling for racial divide. We're not calling for hatred.

• 39:18Speaker 03

  We're saying 350,000 attacks on white people by black people a year in this country is wrong. Why can't you sand that and say with that? I have, maybe you can. Would you be willing to stand by me in a press conference or in an individual interview and talk about this issue that is larger than Austin at this point? God rest the beautiful, young man's soul that would have been one of our strongest voices if he was still alive today.

• 39:44Speaker 04

  Are you done?

• 39:45Speaker 03

  Yes, I am, sir.

• 39:47Speaker 04

  Okay, my turn to speak.

• 39:50Speaker 04

  You are part of the problem, my friend. You're trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap. I do not condone anything you do. You do not have any... That's called white guilt. No, let it off.

• 40:13Speaker 04

  You're creating more Austin Metcalfs with your weakness, sir.

• 40:18Speaker 04

  You are creating more Austin Metcalfs with your weakness.

• 40:20Annie Elise?

  I mean, this whole thing was a mess. He's calling this grieving father weak. He's using racial slurs as a way to like bolster his opinion and his point of view. And it is just appalling, any way you look at it, in my opinion. I don't think that you can use murder as a way to justify any sort of white supremacy. And I'm not saying that that's exactly what he's doing, but it definitely comes across like that. Now, another thing about Jeff, Austin's dad, is there were some reports that he was supposedly arrested himself back in 2011 for

• 40:56Annie Elise?

  However, I want to be clear, we researched it, we looked into it, and I have not been able to verify this claim. The county sheriff's office even told us that there were no arrest records or a police incident report for any sort of arrests like that related to Jeff. So again, could this just be one more piece of wild misinformation that's been going around? Seems to be, because there's no evidence to back it up, at least nothing that we could find. And with our discussions with the sheriff's office, nothing that they have on record either. While we're on the topic of insane rumors, I also saw one story about Austin's cause of death. And if this wasn't such a serious case, I gotta say, this would almost be laughable.

• 41:36Annie Elise?

  Because the rumor goes that Austin didn't die from this stab wound that was really close to his heart, like witnesses saw and like we know happened, but rather from an MDMA overdose. Which MDMA is like a drug, like a Molly GHB mixture cocktail, like it's like this heavy drug, which I don't even understand how that could be slightly believable, given what we know to be true about this incident. Yet that is what people are saying out there, another rumor that is going around.

• 42:05Speaker 06

  Now, the police chief in Frisco, Texas is calling for calm and calling for people to stop spreading rumors. ...misinformation about the case. His call to stop the rumors began after someone posted a fake autopsy online claiming that the victim was high on drugs and that the stabbing was not the primary cause of death. The police chief says none of that is true and posted beware of those taking to social media to deliberately spread misinformation, hate, fear, and division.

• 42:35Annie Elise?

  With the rampant misinformation that's out there, the chaos and the hate has been spreading like wildfire. Carmelo has been getting hate mail, death threats. The rest of his family has also been on the receiving end of those, and it's been bad enough that they all had to address it at a press conference. And this was the first time that they held a public event like this for the press. So I'd imagine that none of them ever even wanted to be in this type of situation. Yet, given how out of hand all these nasty rumors and gossip are getting, they felt like they had no other choice but to confront it head-on. Austin's dad Jeff even actually made an unexpected appearance before the conference even started, which you can imagine that caused a little bit of a ruckus because apparently Carmelo's family hadn't invited him, and they claimed that his presence there was a disrespect

• 43:20Annie Elise?

  to the dignity of his own son. Yet Jeff argued that he simply wanted to be there to show that these two families were coming together in a productive way, that they didn't have to be enemies, they didn't have to fight each other, that they could be alliances together to get to the truth and to get justice for both of their sons. But the Anthony family, they weren't having it. They still asked Jeff to leave, and when he didn't, they warned him that he was going to be charged with trespassing if he didn't go away on his own.

• 43:52Speaker 00

  Good afternoon. My name is Kayla Hayes. I am the mother of Karmelo Anthony. Three years ago, my family moved to North Texas searching for a better life. Like so many other families, we wanted to give our children the future we did not have. My husband worked hard every single day to provide for us, to make sure we're the best financial, to make sure we're in the best financial position possible. As a stay-at-home mom, I made it my life's mission to ensure our children are loved, nurtured, and supported every step of the way.

• 44:36Speaker 00

  In wake of this tragic incident, our family has been under attack. Whatever you think what happened between Carmelo and the Metcalf boys, my three younger children, my husband, and I didn't do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed, and lied about. The lies and false accusations that have been said about us, especially over the past week, has been overwhelming.

• 45:06Speaker 00

  The lies and their amplification put my family in danger, as well as everyone in our community, everyone involved in the investigation, from the police, the attorneys, and the court staff. Our address and my husband's previous employer's address has been put on all social media platforms. My husband had to take a leave of absence because he's afraid what may happen to our family.

• 45:35Speaker 00

  My, his mental health is deteriorating day by day.

• 45:40Speaker 00

  We have endured death threats.

• 45:45Speaker 00

  My thirteen-year-old daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bedroom because she's fearful of what may happen to her. And let me be clear, the claims, the claims that were used about the public donation to buy a home or anything else are completely false. We have not received a single dime from the GiveSendGo fundraiser, and the co-founder has stated that clearly. In the reality, we were just notified yesterday that we could begin to withdraw funds.

• 46:30Speaker 00

  And it still takes

• 46:31Speaker 06

  ...days to receive those funds once the request is made. I don't know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial. Our son deserves the same rights under the law that everyone is afforded to. He's been raised in a two-parent home with structure, stability, love, and we put God first in everything that we do. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the laws of this state, but those laws must apply to all of us, not just some of us. To be clear, we will not speak publicly about specific details of what happened under the tent

• 47:15Speaker 06

  on that rainy and awful day. There's an active investigation that everyone involved wants to be full and fair. We believe in legal process, and that is where the truth will come out. To the family who experienced the loss, my heart truly goes out to you.

• 47:39Speaker 06

  To those who have supported my family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We ask for your continued support, patience, and prayers as we navigate this difficult process. Thank you.

• 47:57Annie Elise?

  Now regardless of which side of this case you stand on, I think we can all agree that that was a very emotionally charged speech that was given and statement. She was scared for her family and for her other children. She was nervous about the death threats. She just wanted her son to have a fair trial, which did happen about a week ago now, and we're going to get into all of that shortly.

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• 48:50Annie Elise?

  And I also want to touch on something that you just heard in that clip. There's been rumors going around about the family misusing funds. And that has been another really polarizing issue in this case. Because after Carmelo's arrest, his family set up a fundraising account on something like a GoFundMe, but not that. This platform is called GiveSendGo. Sort of like a Kickstarter, sort of like a GoFundMe, but basically where you crowdsourced funds. And the description of the fundraiser said that it was for Carmelo's legal costs. Because as we know, good lawyers do not come cheap. And they very quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. But with that comes more issues, like the saying goes, more money, more problems. Because of course, it took no time at all before rumors began spreading saying

• 49:34Annie Elise?

  Carmelo's family was using this money to fund their lavish lifestyle. To rent a $900,000 home that's located in a gated community. To get a new luxury car, to hire private security. Not using it for the defense attorneys and for the lawyers, but using it to fund their lifestyle. One of their neighbors allegedly also spoke out with a news outlet, staying anonymous of course, claiming that the family bought a brand new Cadillac Escalade. And Cadillac Escalades have the sticker price of something like $150,000 right now. Supposedly, they parked it right in front of their driveway for like the whole world to see. Just very proud of this purchase too. So, something about the funds being mishandled and misused is not sitting right with the public either.

• 50:19Annie Elise?

  Again, just an allegation. Now, this alleged neighbor also said, quote, "He got a new car." If you look at the license plate, it's got a paper tag and it says that it expires June 4th. Now, I'm not sure if the "he" that this neighbor is referring to is Carmelo, or maybe Carmelo's dad Andrew. But either way, they are claiming that it's one of the family members' cars and that it's a brand new purchase ever since they started raising all of this money. The reason that that detail about the paper tag that expires on June 4th is so important is because in Texas, paper tags or temporary license plates are only good for 60 days. So if they had temporary plates that expired on June 4th, that would mean that they bought

• 51:00Annie Elise?

  the car on April 4th, which was just two days after the stabbing took place. And look, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here for a moment because you've got to admit, the rumors look pretty bad if they are true. So I decided to dig a little deeper and see if there really was anything to these rumors. And here's what I found. First, this is something I mentioned earlier, but Carmelo's bail was originally set at $1 million, then it got reduced to $250,000. Apparently, this was because his dad Andrew claimed at the bond hearing that the family was going through a financial hardship. They couldn't pay the original bail. It wasn't fair for it to be so high. It needed to be lowered. The judge, of course, asked them why they couldn't just use the money for this bail amount with the money that they had raised online, which his dad Andrew replied that

• 51:45Annie Elise?

  they couldn't use it for bail because that's not what it was for, that those donations were specifically to go to Carmelo's legal fees. That said, he did admit that they did use some of that money for non-legal things. Specifically, security at their house was one of the things that they used this money on after they started receiving death threats. And then they also apparently had to move because their home address had been doxed. And what doxing is, is when your personal information, whether it's your phone number, your address, your workplace, any private, personal information is publicly available online and published online and kind of spammed all over the place. So what he's saying is that their home address had been doxed. So because of that, random strangers learned where they lived.

• 52:29Annie Elise?

  So that coupled with the death threats, they had no other option but to relocate temporarily or maybe even more long-term. So Carmelo's lawyer spoke out saying, quote, "It would be disingenuous to say there isn't money, but it's not a bond fund. This family needs to be able to survive." So again, it seems clear to me that a lot of these rumors are just misinformation or vastly exaggerated. I think it's things people are just making up to muddy the waters and to make a case that's already pretty complicated, even harder to understand. So I guess it all has to be taken with a grain of salt and you can each decide for yourself what you believe here. But when it comes to the hate being shown toward both Carmelo and his family, I think

• 53:12Annie Elise?

  it's important to be clear that Austin's family has never encouraged the hate or the harassment of any of it. If anything, they have publicly been trying to neutralize it. They never supported in or participated in any of the protests. They never told people to send death threats. They never told anybody to dox them, to get involved, nothing.

• 53:31Speaker 04

  We haven't really had a chance to talk to you about this. You had mentioned a few times that you had forgiven the suspect for what That's correct. he did. I do. But we just informed you about these documents and That doesn't change anything. This has to do with me and God. God teaches us in the Bible. He talks about forgiveness. He also talks about revenge. Not for me to seek. God will take care of it. Karma, I believe in it. It's very unfortunate that this other child decided to make a bad choice that's going to affect him for the rest of his life. I have compassion for every human being. This is not, I want to make this very clear. This is not a race issue. This is not a black and white issue.

• 54:16Speaker 04

  I don't want someone stepping up on a soapbox trying to politicize this. I don't appreciate some of the remarks I've seen online that people say, there was this fight and there was, they don't know, they weren't there. I know the truth. So unless you were there, unless you saw it, don't spread gossip.

• 54:34Speaker 06

  My focus of my story is of course on Austin. That is what's most important. But what would you say about the suspect and what's next? I don't know anything about him. We don't, we have nothing to say.

• 54:46Speaker 07

  I've never met this kid until right, right then. It really was under 30 seconds, this altercation. I've never met this kid in my entire life.

• 54:54Speaker 06

  And to be honest with you, we don't want to give him any recognition or any care because that's not, we're not, we have no desire to have anything to do with that man, so.

• 55:04Annie Elise?

  So let's get into the trial, everything that happened through that, all of the witness testimony, and what the final verdict was. And this trial happened about a year after the murder. Now, some of the testimony that came out was pretty jaw-dropping, I do have to say. Now, for starters, before anyone even took the stand, there was already a lot of controversy surrounding the jury itself. And the reason why is because the official sitting jury did not include any black jurors. The jury pool was originally narrowed down from around 600 people to roughly 250 possible jurors. Then, by the final decision, there were only three black jurors left that could have possibly been picked. However, they

• 55:47Annie Elise?

  were ultimately ruled out. Now, the defense attorneys challenged this, and I understand why. They were accusing the prosecutors too of, quote, "improperly striking the last three remaining black jurors from the panel." However, the state pushed back on their claim, arguing that those jurors were removed because they were educators, not because of their race. The judge also ultimately agreed with the prosecution, and they denied the defense's challenge. Now, because race has been such a heavily discussed part of this case from the very beginning, as we went through with the different press conferences, the statements, and everything that was kind of going on with some people, not everybody,

• 56:29Annie Elise?

  but like, you know, agenda-wise, you remember, we talked about that earlier. The decision to not have any black jurors, or I shouldn't say the decision, but the way that that shook out, it instantly and immediately became a huge talking point online.

• 56:46Annie Elise?

  A lot of people were divided with this. People agreed with it, some didn't. I understand why the defense pushed so hard, but ultimately, like I said, the judge ruled with the prosecution. So then the trial begins, and testimony started, and things got interesting really fast. One of the prosecution's witnesses was a 17-year-old teammate of Austin's who testified that he witnessed the confrontation firsthand. And this testimony was a pretty big deal, because he told the jurors that Carmelo already had a folding knife out and in his hand before Austin allegedly shoved him. Which, that was a big revelation, because that meant that if the jury believed that testimony, it completely contradicts the defense's

• 57:30Annie Elise?

  argument that Carmelo only pulled that knife out in self-defense after becoming fearful during that physical altercation, or physical confrontation. So, throughout this, and like I said, there was a lot of testimony and a lot of witnesses, I believe there were 21 witness statements in total. Another student athlete, who was 16-years-old at the time, also testified about what happened in the moments leading up to the stabbing. He told the jurors that he was sitting under the memorial tent with Austin and with some of their other teammates when Carmelo first walked up. And I guess that when Carmelo walked up, he sat down next to him and randomly said, "Crazy weather, huh?" Which the witness

• 58:12Annie Elise?

  said that everybody was confused, because they didn't know Carmelo. He also wasn't part of their team, he went to a different school, so they didn't really understand why he was there in the first place. Now, is that super damning? Not necessarily. Like, yes, it could be weird that somebody's coming into your tent and like, sitting down if they don't belong there. However, it's also raining, everybody's under the tents because of the rain, so I could see where if somebody's trying to like, duck under a tent, you're going to make small talk, right? Like, "Crazy weather, huh?" Like, because you're trying to shield yourself from the rain? I don't know. I just don't think that that was like, a huge "aha" moment of he came into the tent in a threatening way. However, according to that testimony, the group asked Carmelo to leave and he refused.

• 58:56Annie Elise?

  The witness claimed that Carmelo became very aggressive and said, quote, "Fuck y'all. I'm not going to leave. Y'all are a bunch of pussies. Y'all aren't gonna do anything. Touch me and see what happens." And what really stood out to me is what the witness says Austin said back to Carmelo. Because according to his testimony, Austin's response wasn't, "Let's fight," or like, "Fuck you," or anything like that. The witness says that Austin told him, "I'm not going to fight you." One teenage witness, and I'm not sure if this is the exact same witness or another, because like I said, there were 21, but another, uh, statement, I should say, that was testified to, is that Austin told Carmelo, quote, "You don't even have anything in that backpack.

• 59:41Annie Elise?

  It's Frisco." Now, the reason I bring that up is because earlier in this episode, we talked about how people said Carmelo was reaching into his backpack and then that's when he grabbed the knife, although another witness testified he already had the knife out. But I think this goes to show that, through this statement at least, that what they're trying to suggest and imply is that Austin didn't feel like this was a dangerous or life-threatening situation, kind of being like, "You know, you don't have anything in that backpack. We're in Frisco for Christ's sake," like, something like that, you know? Obviously, that is not the truth. So, then through the trial came the medical examiner's testimony. And this was probably one of the most emotional moments of the trial. Because jurors were told that Austin's

• 1:00:26Annie Elise?

  cause of death was, of course, that single stab wound to the chest. And the medical examiner also testified that the knife went through his breastbone, entered his chest cavity, and then pierced the right side of his heart. The wound through the heart wall was described as being approximately two inches long, meaning that was an incredible amount of force to pass through the breastbone, enter the chest cavity, and then pierce the heart, and have a wound two inches long. Like, that is an incredible amount of force going in. The medical examiner also didn't leave much room for interpretation, and they testified that the injury was simply not survivable.

• 1:01:08Annie Elise?

  Another thing that really stood out during the trial was that Carmelo chose not to testify in his own defense. Now, this happens, we know that- Usually, I'll say defendants won't take the stand because they don't want to do anything that could hurt their case or potentially, you know, have hard questions coming their way to where their answers could be misconstrued or misinterpreted. And not testifying is absolutely his constitutional right, and some argue that it's more strategic not to testify. But of course, it's always something that people notice in high-profile cases, and it certainly did not go unnoticed in this case. So he didn't testify. And now here's where it got interesting, because it wrapped up way sooner than I expected,

• 1:01:52Annie Elise?

  and a lot quicker than I think anyone expected. Because the prosecution rested its case on Saturday, June 6. Then, the following Monday, the defense started presenting their case. They started at 9:00 a.m. that Monday morning. However, they rested their case just five and a half hours later, same day. Then, the next Tuesday, closing arguments happened. This also was incredibly fast. So fast that it didn't even last all day long. It started with closing arguments, then it went to a verdict, then it went to the sentencing phase. So it was a jam-packed day. And what's really interesting is that even though the closing arguments didn't take

• 1:02:35Annie Elise?

  very long and they went, you know, pretty quickly, what was interesting throughout that portion of the trial is that it was announced that the jury was allowed to consider manslaughter in all of this, not murder. And this was a major development, because the judge instructed jurors that they could convict Carmelo of either murder or the lesser offense of manslaughter, which of course the defense had hoped that this revelation, this announcement, would give the jurors a middle-ground option to come together on, that they wouldn't have to just do all or nothing, right? However, as I said, closing arguments went quickly, it then went off to the jury, and a verdict was returned. And the jury only deliberated for three hours.

• 1:03:20Annie Elise?

  Ultimately, they found Carmelo guilty of murder.

• 1:03:25Annie Elise?

  Now, one thing that many people who are watching this trial were focused on is not so much what the jury did decide, but rather what they didn't decide. Because in that moment, I mean, the conversation then became, you know, they were given a path to manslaughter, but they chose murder instead, which is often interpreted as a sign that the jury rejected that entire core argument of self-defense and that theory, rather than, you know, merely finding that he overreacted in the moment and it was a crime of passion. They could have met on that middle ground, but they chose murder instead. Which, under a guilty murder verdict, that means that he was going to face a punishment

• 1:04:07Annie Elise?

  range of five to 99 years or life in prison. Whereas a manslaughter conviction would have carried a sentence of two to 20 years in prison. Now, right when this happened, his mom testified, literally moments after he was found guilty, and she told the jury that she knows that her son is very sorry for what he did. So then came the sentencing phase, which it moved into almost immediately. And within just a few hours, the sentencing came back. And the jury sentenced Carmelo to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after half of that time is served, which is, you know, about 17 and a half years.

• 1:04:48Annie Elise?

  And I have seen a lot of people on social media say that they think that that is, I don't know if poetic is the right word, but because Austin was that same age, that that at least he will be incarcerated for amount of years that Austin was alive. And again, I'm not saying I believe one way or another that this sentencing, you know, means it's poetic or not. I don't, again, I don't think that that's the right word, but I just want to point out that that is what people are suggesting. However, as you can imagine, there is a lot of division regarding this, not only the guilty verdict, but the sentencing. There was fighting erupting outside of the courtroom, there were fights in the streets,

• 1:05:31Annie Elise?

  people who are angry that Carmelo was found guilty, people who- were angry that he wasn't sentenced to life in prison. There's just so much division. And in a statement, Austin's dad spoke out and he addressed Carmelo directly as well. And he said, "We were robbed. Don't look down. We were robbed of all of these things. I said from day one, this was never about race. Please don't politicize it. But what you choose to do, both, it's right and wrong. We're all humans. We all bleed the same color. You're free to make choices all you want, but you're not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today. People think that grief is sadness, but it's not. It's a rage."

• 1:06:15Annie Elise?

  And at this point, he slammed his hands down on the table and he said, "Pure, unfiltered rage. You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society. You don't belong in this community," he says directly to Carmelo. "You're going to prison. You can't even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my fucking son in the heart." And like I said, guys, I mean, there is so much division out there. A lot of people too, I saw posting sentiments saying, you know, what if when Carmelo had gone under the tent, if someone had just made small talk with him and said, "Hey, stay here and get warm a little longer." Or if Carmelo had come in and instead of being allegedly aggressive, had said something like, "Hey, guys, can I just duck out here from the rain for a couple of minutes?"

• 1:06:59Annie Elise?

  Or if there was some sort of mutually kind exchange to where it didn't erupt into such a fast moment of violence and a senseless moment of violence that has effectively destroyed two families completely. And look, it's controversial. I know so many of you are going to disagree with one another. Please keep it respectful. It's an incredibly devastating case for everyone involved. So obviously, a very devastating case and two young boys' lives who essentially are now completely lost. I mean, one, physically, yes, he, Austin, lost his life. Another locked up. And still a lot of division out there. Still a lot of people feeling like-

• 1:07:45Annie Elise?

  This wasn't handled the right way, or that this was self-defense, or that it wasn't and it should have been harsher. Or there's just so much conversation out there. It's a very polarizing case. And I'm curious to know what you've heard about this case, or where, even if you're hearing about this case for the first time, where you sit with this. Please be kind to one another in the comments if you disagree. At the end of the day, I think it's a tragedy. No matter how you look at it, it's just senseless. It's two young men who had their whole lives ahead of them. And it just shows you how quickly violence can happen in the blink of an eye. And I just can't help but think too about Austin's brother just lying there with him in those moments. And you heard his soul leaving his body feeling that himself, because they're twins.

• 1:08:30Annie Elise?

  And it's so incredibly heartbreaking. It's devastating for everyone, everyone involved. And it's just a reminder that senseless crime happens everywhere, all the time. So please just be safe, protect yourselves. And I don't know, I'm curious to know your thoughts. Now, before you go, quick reminder, merch right now, annieleese.com. Get it before it is completely gone. So thank you so much for tuning into another episode with me today. I will be back with you this Thursday with headline highlights, where we are going through an all-new case, or cases, I should say, and case updates. But let me know what you think about this one. All right, guys, thank you so much. And until the next one, be nice, don't kill people,

• 1:09:16Annie Elise?

  and just watch your back.

• 1:09:30Speaker 00

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