Jurors in the heard a frantic 911 call, watched surveillance footage and listened to emotional testimony Thursday from coaches and trainers who tried to save Austin Metcalf after the Texas teenager was stabbed at a high school track meet.
Anthony, 19, has pleaded in the April 2025 stabbing death of Metcalf and maintains he acted in self-defense. The case has drawn national attention and intense public scrutiny since the fatal encounter.
Texas defense attorney and legal analyst Jeremy Rosenthal told Fox News Digital that the first day of testimony highlighted the central battle jurors will have to resolve â whether Anthony’s actions were criminal or legally justified as self-defense.
“The defense is accepting part of the burden here because if they want the jury instructed on self-defense, they have to prove up that split-second statement,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal also noted that opening statements can have an outsized impact on jurors.
“Eighty percent of jurors make up their mind at opening statement and they never change it,” he said, citing trial advocacy studies.
Controversy has engulfed the case, and tensions rose after a jury was selected on Wednesday with no Black jurors.
On Thursday, supporters of both Anthony and Metcalf sparring in a shouting match outside the courthouse, holding signs, yelling profanities and antagonizing each other.
WATCH: Crowds rally outside courthouse during Karmelo Anthony trial
Collin County prosecutor Bill Wirskyke called the stabbing a “provoked unjustified murder” and told jurors, “This case has nothing to do with race. This case is not self-defense.”
Mike Howard argued Anthony reacted in a “split second of fear and chaos” and urged jurors to focus on the evidence rather than the public narrative that has developed around the case.
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Jurors viewed around Kuykendall Stadium and later listened to a 911 call placed in the moments after the stabbing.
The caller reported that CPR was underway and that an athlete had been stabbed and was losing consciousness.
NBC 5 reported that voices in the background could be heard urging Metcalf to keep fighting, while another person said, “There’s a lot of blood. He’s not breathing.”
The outlet reported that Metcalf’s final gasp for air could be heard on the recording.
As the call played, Metcalf’s family could be heard crying. Anthony had his eyes closed during most of the 7-minute call.
Rosenthal said the surveillance footage could become one of the most important pieces of evidence presented during the trial.
“In the 21st century, I think jurors really expect there to be some type of video evidence, either surveillance or cell phone,” he said.
“You’ve got a bunch of teenagers and nobody seems to have any cellphone video of this, which is in some ways surprising,” he added. “A picture’s worth a thousand words.”
WATCH: Heated exchanges erupt outside Karmelo Anthony murder trial
Memorial athletic trainer Tiffany Whiteaker testified that she rushed to help Metcalf and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
She said she saw a commotion and heard screaming in the stands, and a student
