A county judge has agreed to reduce the bail amount for the Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing another student at a track meet earlier this month.
In a Monday morning hearing, Karmelo Anthony’s lawyers asked Collin County Judge Angela Tucker to reduce his bail from $1 million to $150,000. Anthony’s father and mother also testified.
“Given that Karmelo has no prior criminal history… given that this young man has not been in any sort of trouble before, $1 million is not necessary,” defense attorney Mike Howard said, according to Fox News. The hearing also revealed Anthony is the oldest of four children.
“This family needs to be able to survive,” Howard continued. “There’s been a tremendous amount of pressure. I think at this point, living in a gated community, given everything, the safety of their younger children is very warranted. Security details and criminal defense are not cheap.”
The prosecution argued against the bail reduction, citing a fundraiser managed by Anthony’s mother that had generated over $400,000 as of Monday morning.
Judge Tucker ultimately approved reducing Anthony’s bail to $250,000, according to the Dallas Morning News. The reduced amount comes with conditions that Anthony be placed under house arrest and wear an ankle monitor. The teenager is also required to meet with the bailiff once a week, and he is not allowed to use social media, Fox News reports.
“I don’t take that lightly at all. I take those things very seriously,” Judge Tucker said after her ruling. “There is no replacement for the loss of life or the loss of a child. I don’t want the family to think a bond amount is connected to the dignity of loss. You cannot make the person come back.”
Texas teen accused of track meet stabbing hires new lawyer
The funeral for stabbing victim Austin Metcalf was held Saturday, April 12 at Hope Fellowship Frisco East. The burial was private. That day, the teen charged with Metcalf’s murder hired a new lawyer.
Anthony’s initial attorney, Deric Walpole, had scheduled Monday’s hearing. However, the Clark Law Firm and K Cole Law confirmed to local news outlet WFAA on Saturday that they no longer represented Anthony. Instead, the law firm identified Dallas defense attorney Mike Howard as the lawyer picking up the case.
Student arrested, charged with murder for fatal stabbing at track meet
Karmelo Anthony, a student athlete at Frisco Centennial High School, was arrested on April 2 and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing Memorial High School student Austin Metcalf. The incident occurred at a high school track meet at Frisco Independent School District’s Kuykendall Stadium. Both individuals were 17.
The altercation between Metcalf and Anthony occurred around 10 a.m. Police say the two were involved in a disagreement over a seat at the track meet before Anthony wielded a knife and stabbed Metcalf.
Athletic trainers told first responders Metcalf was not conscious and not breathing, according to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. First responders performed lifesaving measures on the wounded victim, from CPR to blood administration, but the teen died at the scene.
‘I did it,’ defendant told school resource officer
Officer Eduardo Cortez, a school resource officer, was the first to arrive at the scene, according to the affidavit.
“I was protecting myself,” Anthony allegedly said, unprovoked, when Cortez told him to keep his hands in the air. The officer then communicated to others that he had the alleged suspect in custody, to which Anthony said, “I’m not ‘alleged.’ I did it.”
Cortez conducted a search and found no weapons on Anthony.
The affidavit states that, while walking to the police vehicle with Cortez and another officer, Anthony was “emotional” and said, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.” Another officer at the scene described Anthony as “crying hysterically.” Once the suspect was inside the vehicle, Cortez noticed fresh blood on his left hand.
“Is he going to be OK?” Anthony allegedly asked from the back seat. Officer Allyson Ricci, who assisted Cortez, reported that Anthony asked if what he did could be considered self-defense.
While first responders tried to save Metcalf under a nearby tent, other investigators at the scene began looking for a knife they heard Anthony had used to stab Metcalf, per the affidavit. Investigators found the knife in the stands.
‘Touch me and see what happens’
Investigators spoke to over two dozen people who saw what happened, including a Memorial High School track team member, per the affidavit.
One witness told authorities that he was sitting under a Memorial High School tent with the team while Metcalf and Anthony were sitting nearby. Anthony was sitting under the team’s tent when Metcalf told him he needed to move, the witness said, according to the document.
“Anthony grabbed his bag, opened it and reached inside and proceeded to tell (Metcalf) ‘Touch me and see what happens,’” the affidavit said.
Metcalf touched Anthony, who then told Metcalf to punch him and see what happens, the witness said. Metcalf then grabbed Anthony to tell him to move again, and that’s when Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest before running away, according to the affidavit.
Metcalf began grabbing his chest and telling people to get help, the affidavit said. He was pronounced dead shortly after.
Fake accounts spread misinformation about Austin Metcalf’s death
The day after the tragedy, the police department made another post warning of “a fake account on social media purporting to belong to Chief David Shilson.” The public was encouraged to rely solely on the department’s verified accounts for accurate information.
The fake account alleged the stabbing was a result of a “mutual combat altercation” initiated when Metcalf “sucker punched” Anthony, according to Click2Houston. The posts also say Metcalf “smashed [Anthony’s] phone into one of the bleachers.” These claims have not been confirmed by law enforcement.
In a statement, Shilson explains the impersonation of a law enforcement officer “is a criminal offense and a 3rd degree felony which will be investigated.”
On April 4, officials reported that yet another social media account was sharing false information about the case. A fabricated photo of a document from the county medical examiner states Metcalf’s primary cause of death was an “MDMA drug overdose,” listing blood loss from a stab wound as a secondary cause.
“The Frisco Police Department is aware of an image circulating on social media purporting to be a report from the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office,” the post reads. “At this time, the report has NOT been released. Therefore, any information currently found online is FALSE.”
“Only official releases from verified accounts should be trusted. Do not contribute to the misinformation by spreading unconfirmed information.”
Donations for Austin Metcalf’s family pour in on GoFundMe
The day of his son’s death, Jeff Metcalf launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for donations to honor Austin. The father praised his son’s leadership and passion, along with his success in sports while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“He was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him.” Jeff Metcalf wrote. “He was looking forward to taking his game to the next level. His commitment, dedication, leadership, and sheer grit made him rise to the level of success that he desired.”
“We will all remember him for the way he impacted others’ lives. I love you forever, son. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. God will take care of us till we meet again. RIP. Love, Dad.”
As of Monday morning, Jeff Metcalf’s campaign had raised over $340,000.
Another GoFundMe campaign was started by Kari Ordas, who, according to the campaign, is the owner of a local pizzeria where Austin Metcalf, his twin brother Hunter, and their mother Meghan worked. Alongside the campaign, Ordas told local news outlet WFAA that she is planning a fundraiser at her business.
As of Monday morning, Ordas’ campaign had raised nearly $175,000.
Karmelo Anthony GoFundMe campaigns taken down, GiveSendGo raises over $400K
Alternatively, at least three other online fundraising campaigns have been launched supporting Anthony.
One campaign said Anthony was a “respectful, well-mannered young man and had “ZERO criminal history—not even a blemish.” It had raised $140,000 before it was taken down.
A GoFundMe spokesperson told The Independent that they “prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.” The spokesperson was not identified.
A second GoFundMe campaign for Anthony was also taken down.
A third campaign, this one through GiveSendGo, remained live on Friday. The page claims to have been created by “the Anthony family” and had raised more than $414,000 as of Monday morning.
“This is the Official Support Fund for Karmelo and his family during this challenging and difficult time,” the page reads. “The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful. As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all of your support during this trying period. Your prayers and assistance mean more to us now more than ever.”
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Frisco stabbing update: Karmelo Anthony’s bail reduced to $250K
Read the full article here