Self-defense claim in Austin Metcalf slaying is 'uphill battle': expert

The 17-year-old charged successful the stabbing decease of precocious schoolhouse way prima Austin Metcalf volition look an "uphill battle" if his attorneys contiguous a self-defense assertion successful court, 1 adept says. 

Karmelo Anthony, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree execution successful Metcalf's April 2 sidesplitting astatine a way conscionable successful Frisco, Texas. 

"If the grounds is what it is close now, I deliberation he's going to person an uphill conflict claiming self-defense," Julie Rendelman, a New York lawyer who is not progressive successful the case, told Fox News Digital. "But we whitethorn larn much, overmuch much that changes that perspective. And that could beryllium for a assemblage oregon a expansive assemblage to decide."

Rendelman has practiced instrumentality for much than 30 years, and is simply a erstwhile homicide authoritative who served arsenic the elder proceedings lawyer successful Kings County, Brooklyn, and yet became the lawman homicide bureau chief. Now, she runs a backstage transgression defence signifier successful New York.

Karmelo Anthony, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. (FOX 4)

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A constabulary study indicates that a quality wrong Memorial High School's structure turned deadly erstwhile Metcalf reportedly pushed Anthony, a pupil astatine a antithetic precocious school, to region him from the tent. According to police, Anthony responded by stabbing Metcalf successful the chest. 

Rendelman stressed that the nationalist does not cognize each the facts successful the case, but said that, fixed what she's read, Anthony does not person a clear-cut self-defense claim. 

"If the script is… that the unfortunate told [Anthony] to leave, and past successful immoderate mode physically touched him without more, past I'm not comfy – I don't judge that a self-defense assertion volition work," she said. 

Anthony was released from the Collin County Jail connected Monday, April 14, aft his enslaved was reduced from $1 cardinal to $250,000.

Karmelo Anthony, fishy successful the stabbing decease of Texas way prima Austin Metcalf, walks retired of the Collin County Jail connected April 14, 2025. (KDFW)

Rendelman said specified an result would beryllium improbable wherever she practices law, because New York tends to acceptable precise precocious bail, if not remand, for immoderate benignant of execution allegations, but that successful astir states, offering monetary bail to homicide suspects is common. 

"I'll besides adhd that this lawsuit does impact a 17-year-old who's ne'er been successful trouble," she said. "And [the court] did adhd conditions, truthful it wasn't that they were conscionable reducing the bail. They reduced it with the ankle monitor, with the lodging confinement constricted to going to… indispensable appointments, [and] that helium has to study [to the judge]. So it wasn't a simplification without immoderate conditions."

She besides addressed the widening disagreement betwixt those who enactment Metcalf and those who enactment Anthony. The lawsuit has go a flash constituent partially due to the fact that of a GiveSendGo fundraiser for the suspected killer, which has accrued astir $500,000 successful donations. 

"I consciousness unthinkable sympathy for the victim's family," Rendelman said. "Because nary substance however you look astatine it, he's inactive a 17-year-old lad who was benignant of astatine the opening of his life."

File photograph of Jeff Metcalf with his son, Austin Metcalf, a inferior astatine Memorial High School successful Frisco, who was stabbed successful the thorax allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, a student-athlete from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)

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She acknowledged however hard it indispensable beryllium for the Metcalf household not lone to woody with the tragic nonaccomplishment of their son, but to spot their son's alleged slayer raising wealth from the ordeal. 

"At the aforesaid time, the suspect has a close to owed process, has a household that supports him, and his time successful tribunal volition come," she said. 

On Thursday, Anthony's household made their archetypal nationalist comments during a quality league that went disconnected the rails erstwhile their activistic spokesman, Dominique Alexander, began criticizing Austin's father, Jeff Metcalf, who attended the quality conference. The lawsuit was expected to absorption connected however the GiveSendGo funds are being used. 

Jeff Metcalf showed up earlier it began, but was threatened with transgression charges and escorted disconnected the spot by Dallas Police officers.

Dominique Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network hosted a quality league connected behalf of Karmelo Anthony's household connected Thursday, April 17. (Next Generation Action Network via Facebook)

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"What we've seen astatine the opening of this property conference, of the begetter being astatine this property conference, these are my words – don't punctuation anybody – is simply a disrespect to the dignity of his son," Alexander said. 

"Next Generation Action Network from the opening has respected the nonaccomplishment of life, nary substance our sentiment of it. We person kept our sentiment close," helium said. "We person not attacked. We person not shared the accusation that was shared with america astir Austin Metcalf due to the fact that we respect the dignity of beingness and loss."

"That was disrespectful and conscionable shows you each the character," Alexander said. "He was not invited. He knows that it's inappropriate to beryllium adjacent this family, but helium did it. So, I accidental to people, actions talk louder than words."

Jett Metcalf antecedently told Fox News, "This idiosyncratic made a atrocious prime and affected some his household and my household forever."

He said Austin, who died successful his duplicate brother's arms, "was the airy of my life."

"People inquire me, however tin you forgive this different person? I said I forgive the different idiosyncratic due to the fact that the forgiveness is not for him," helium said. "The forgiveness is for maine truthful I tin person peace. His beingness is destroyed. My beingness is destroyed."

Austin Metcalf, 17, was stabbed to decease astatine a Texas way meet. (Jeff Metcalf)

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The Frisco Police Department (FPD) released a connection 2 days aft the stabbing asking radical not to dispersed "disinformation, hate, fearfulness and division." 

On Friday, the section declined to remark further. 

Fox News Digital reached retired to Anthony's attorney.