Karmelo Anthony, the teen who admitted to stabbing and killing a fellow high school athlete at a track meet in Texas, has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
Austin Metcalf, 17, bled out in his brother’s arms after the then-17-year-old Anthony attacked him in the bleachers of David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco in April 2.
Anthony, now 18, insisted he was acting in self-defense when he knifed Metcalf, however, he’s never explained why he had a weapon at an event on school property.
However, Tuesday, he was formally charged by a grand jury in the crime that has drawn national attention over race and privilege.
‘I fully believe that justice will be served for Austin Metcalf,’ his father Jeff told DailyMail.com of the indictment.
‘I look forward to the forthcoming trial. But it will never bring my son back.’
Frisco, Texas police have said the incident stemmed from Metcalf asking Anthony to leave his team tent since he didn’t go to the same school.
The indictment comes weeks after the local district attorney began presenting evidence to a grand jury, asking jurors to uphold the first-degree murder count local cops originally brought against the teen.
‘With that indictment, the case now moves formally into the court system. We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond,’ Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
‘That’s understandable. When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core.’
Grand jury proceedings are held behind closed doors, and unlike most court hearings, are not open to the public.
However, Anthony’s advisor Dominque Alexander told DailyMail.com that his defense attorney was able to present a packet with evidence Anthony wanted the jurors to see.
The embattled teen learned about the indictment shortly before the news was released to media Tuesday afternoon, Alexander added.
‘A ham sandwich can be indicted in America, right,’ Alexander told DM, explaining Alexander had been expecting this outcome.
‘Right now, this is the first day of Karmelo pretty much preparing to defend himself in the court of law.’
Just last week, DailyMail.com reported on footage of the stabbing released by the Frisco Independent School District.
The video, recorded on a fixed camera at David Kuykendall Stadium, did not show any fighting, pushing or physical altercation between the boys prior to the knifing.
Instead, the clip viewed by Daily Mail at school district headquarters, showed several people sitting under the Memorial High School team tent.
Without any kind of apparent escalation, people can be seen running and walking away from the tent.
Later, what appears to be Metcalf’s body is moved out of the stadium bleachers to a walkway near the bottom of the seating area.
The surveillance appears to challenge the self-defense claim made by the murder suspect, offering little visible evidence that Anthony was in immediate danger before the attack.
The Frisco Police Department would not comment on whether it is the only video of the slaying.
Anthony remains under house arrest at a secret location after persuading a judge that his safety was at risk following threats he received while living in a gated community.
He spent nearly two weeks in jail before a judge agreed to reduce his bond, allowing him to await trial under house arrest.
