The 17-year-old, charged with high school truck star Austin Metcalf’s stab wound, will face a “difficult battle” if his lawyer presents his claims of self-defense in court, one expert says.
Karmelo Anthony, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the April 2 murder of Metcalf at a track competition in Frisco, Texas.
“If the evidence is for now, I think he’ll have a difficult fight to assert self-defense,” Julie Rendelman, a New York lawyer who is not involved in the case, told Fox News Digital. “But we may learn a lot. It’s about changing that perspective. And it could be something that the Ju judge or the Great Ju judge decides.”
Rendelman has been practicing law for more than 30 years, a former murder prosecutor who served as a senior trial lawyer in Kings County, Brooklyn, and eventually became the deputy murder director. Now she runs civilian criminal defense practices in New York.
Karmelo Anthony, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. (Fox 4)
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Police reports show that the conflict inside Memorial High School tent became fatal when Metcalf reportedly pushed Anthony, a student from another high school, to remove him from the tent. Police said Anthony responded by stabbing a Metcalf in the chest.
Rendelman stressed that the public didn’t know all the facts of the incident, but said Anthony had no clear claims of self-defense, given what she read.
“The scenario… the victim said [Anthony] I am not comfortable because I left and then in some way I physically touched him anymore – I don’t think the self-defense claim would work,” she said.
Anthony was released from the Colin County Jail on Monday, April 14th, and was released after his bonds were reduced from $1 million to $250,000.
Carmelo Anthony, suspect in the stab wounds of Texas truck star Austin Metcalf, will leave the Colin County Jail on April 14, 2025. (KDFW)
Rendelman said such outcomes would not be where she practices the law. New York tends to set very high, if not remand, bail for all sorts of murder allegations, but in most states it is common to provide monetary bail for suspected murderers.
“I also added that this case involves a 17-year-old who has never had any trouble,” she said. “and [the court] We added conditions so we weren’t just reducing bail. They cut it down with ankle monitors, and housing confinement is limited to the required reservations, [and] What he must report [to the judge]. So it was not a reduction without conditions. ”
She also addressed the widening gap between those who support Metcalf and those who support Anthony. This case was partly a flashpoint due to a Gives Endgo fundraiser for the suspect’s murderer.
“I feel incredibly sympathy for the victims’ families,” Rendelman said. “No matter how you look at it, he is still a 17-year-old boy who was still at the beginning of his life.”
A file photo of Jeff Metcalf with his son Austin Metcalf, a junior at Frisco Memorial High School, is allegedly stabbed in the chest by 17-year-old Carmelo Anthony, a student-athlete at Frisco Centennial High School. (Commentary Jeff Metcalf)
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She acknowledged how difficult it must be to see the Metcalf family not only dealing with the tragic loss of their son, but also seeing his son’s murderer raise money from the ordeal.
“At the same time, the defendant has the right to legitimate proceedings, a family that supports him, and his day in court will come.”
On Thursday, Anthony’s family made their first public comment at a news conference off the rail when activist spokesman Dominic Alexander began criticizing Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, who attended the press conference. The event was to focus on how GivesEndgo’s funds were being used.
Jeff Metcalf appeared before it began, but was threatened with criminal charges and escorted the property by Dallas police officers.
Dominique Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network held a press conference on behalf of Carmelo Anthony’s family on Thursday, April 17th. (Next-Generation Action Network via Facebook)
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“At the beginning of this press conference, what we saw as his father attending this press conference is, these are my words – don’t quote anyone – to downplay the dignity of his son,” said Alexander.
“The next generation of action networks have respected the loss of life from the start, regardless of what they say about it. We kept our opinions,” he said. “We are not attacking. We are not sharing any information shared with us about Austin Metcalf, as we respect the dignity of life and loss.”
“It’s just rude and showing you all the characters,” Alexander said. “He wasn’t invited. He knows it’s inappropriate to be close to this family, but he did that. So I speak more eloquently to people than words.”
Jet Metcalf previously told Fox News that “this person made a bad choice and had an impact on both my family and my family forever.”
He said Austin, who died in the arms of his twin brothers, was “a light in my life.”
“People ask me, how can you forgive this other person? I said I am forgiven others. “Forgiveness is for me, so I can have peace. His life will be destroyed. My life will be destroyed.”
Austin Metcalf, 17, was stabbed to death at a Texas track competition. (Jeff Metcalf)
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The Frisco Police Station (FPD) issued a statement two days after the stab wound.
On Friday, the department declined to comment further.
Fox News Digital contacted Anthony’s attorney.
