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In closing arguments Tuesday, Carmelo Anthony's defense rested without calling him to testify — a move that came as legal analysts questioned whether his defense claim would sway jurors.
Anthony is charged with murder in April 2025, stabbing to death 17-year-old Memorial High School athlete Austin Metcalf during an argument at a high school meet in Texas. Anthony admits he stabbed Metcalf but says he was acting in self-defense.
Anthony's defense rested its case Monday, setting the stage for closing arguments when the trial resumes at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday.
The case has drawn national attention, fueled by debate over Texas' immunity law, questions about race, competing accounts of what happened under the High School band tent and protests outside the Collin County courthouse.
Carmelo Anthony sits with his defense attorneys in the courtroom in his murder trial. (Pat Lopez)
Ritter: The defense is facing an uphill battle
As the defense case drew to a close on Monday, the unexpected delay in the trial sparked speculation about what was going on behind the scenes.
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Prosecutors are shown sitting in a courtroom during the Carmelo Anthony murder trial in Collin County, Texas. (Pat Lopez)
Speaking on Fox News' “The Story,” legal analyst Joshua Ritter suggested that Anthony and his attorneys may have been debating whether to testify.
Carmelo Anthony (left) and Austin Metcalf split. Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing Metcalf during a meeting on April 2, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (FOX4; Jeff Metcalf)
“Maybe they're talking to Carmelo Anthony about whether he wants to testify or not,” Ritter, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, said Monday.
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There was no plea deal, and the defense finally rested without calling Anthony to the witness stand.
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Ritter suggested the defense may have been rethinking its strategy after several days of prosecution evidence.
“We hear that the defendants' case may not go as they wished and planned,” said Ritter.
According to Ritter, defense attorneys wanted one last chance to strengthen Anthony's position before the case went to a jury.
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Defense attorney Mike Howard delivers opening statements during Carmelo Anthony's murder trial in the Collin County District Court. (Pat Lopez)
“Perhaps they want the last effort to try to save him the rest of his life in prison,” he said.
Ritter later provided an indirect assessment of the competing cases presented to the jury.
“The prosecution's case went too far. The defendant's case doesn't seem to be going well,” said Ritter.
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Rotunno: The defense claim may not hold
Ritter wasn't the only Fox News legal commentator to question the strength of the defense's case.
Speaking on Fox News' “America Reports”, criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno said the evidence presented during the trial strengthened her belief that Anthony's defense claim faces serious challenges.
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“I never thought that this case rose to the level of self-defense,” said Rotunno. “This is a very sad, terrible, tragic situation where a young person has made a really bad decision, but decisions have consequences.”
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Rotunno pointed to the testimony of several student witnesses, including one witness who admitted under cross-examination that Anthony was the one who started the altercation.
“That one question can turn the tide here,” Rotunno said.
Rotunno also rejected defense efforts to highlight evidence that the knife Anthony was carrying was legal under Texas law because its blade was less than five inches.
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A courtroom sketch shows Carmelo Anthony and his defense team as jurors watch surveillance video during Anthony's murder trial in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco, Texas, fair. (Pat Lopez)
“Just because you can legally get a knife doesn't mean you can use it the way it was used,” he said.
Citing evidence that athletes from different schools often participate in running competitions, Rotunno said the jury may not focus too much on whether Anthony was allowed under the Memorial High School tent and how he responded after being repeatedly asked to leave.
“Obviously he didn't want to go,” Rotunno said. “I think they're trying to show that he knew exactly what he was doing when he put his hand inside that bag.”
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Protesters show support for Carmelo Anthony outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, on the first day of jury selection in his trial on June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook of Fox News Digital)
Demonstrators show support for Austin Metcalf outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, on the first day of jury selection in the Carmelo Anthony trial on June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook of Fox News Digital)
What the judges heard
Prosecutors called 21 witnesses, including student athletes, police, investigators and a medical examiner.
Several students testified that Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the Memorial High School tent before the altercation escalated. Witnesses recalled Anthony telling Metcalf, “Touch me and you'll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
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Austin Metcalf, a junior at Centennial High School in Frisco, was stabbed in the chest at a track meet, allegedly by 17-year-old Carmelo Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial High School. (Jeff Metcalf/Anonymous)
Many students testified that Metcalf did not appear to want to fight. One witness recalled Metcalf saying, “I'm not going to fight you in a track meet.”
Defense attorneys responded by highlighting evidence that athletes from different schools often cross paths, that Anthony was younger than Metcalf and that witnesses gave different accounts of the physical interaction immediately before the stabbing.
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National attention and court disputes
The trial took place amid protests outside the Collin County courthouse. Anthony's supporters gathered throughout the trial holding signs that read “Justice for Karmelo Anthony.”
Outside court on Monday, Next Generation Action Network President Dominique Alexander urged Anthony's supporters to “don't be mean” when they argue.
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“We don't support chaos. We don't support intimidation. We don't support threats,” said Alexander.
The defense argued Anthony feared for his safety when he stabbed Metcalf. Prosecutors argued evidence showed Anthony escalated a verbal altercation into a deadly confrontation.
WATCH: A father speaks softly after his son was stabbed to death during a meeting
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The case now hinges on competing versions of what happened under the High School tent and whether jurors believe Anthony's actions were justified.
Fox News' Brooke Taylor, Peter Cuddihy and Lindsey Reese contributed to this report.
