by Misty Severi
A Texas jury on Tuesday found teenager Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the stabbing of his competitor, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, during a high school track meet last year.
The murder trial began last week and witnesses alleged that Anthony and Metcalf had an altercation after the victim told Anthony he was sitting in the wrong area.
Prosecutors argued that Metcalf grabbed Anthony (pictured above) at one point in the altercation to get him to move after Anthony reportedly dared him. Anthony then allegedly pulled a knife on Metcalf and stabbed him once in the chest before running away.
According to CBS News, the prosecuting team called 21 witnesses during the trial.
NewsNation said prosecutor Bill Wirskye told the jury that deadly force must be “‘immediately necessary’ to be legal” during closing arguments.
“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder,” Wirksye said, according to the outlet.
Anthony’s defense team argued the stabbing is a case of self-defense because the defendant was allegedly protecting himself in the confrontation.
The defendant, who is now 19-years-old, faces up to life in prison.
CBS News reported Judge John Roach permitted the jury to consider the charge of manslaughter against Anthony.
Attorney David Weinstein told NewsNation, “According to Texas law, murder is when the defendant ‘intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual,’ while manslaughter is when the defendant ‘recklessly causes the death of an individual.'”
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Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
