Karmelo Anthony Defense Team FURIOUS After ALL BLACK Jurors Are Removed!

Added: 2026-06-05

[00:00:00]Guys, Carmelo Anthony might be screwed, and I'm not putting that lightly because we're going to talk about what happened to Carmelo Anthony during this jury selection process. We've seen it in other cases. We talked about Alicia Andrews. We talked about even the four defendants that were on trial for the Julio Julio. There's a lot of situation going on with that. But, you know, that was, to be honest, a black-on-black crime.

[00:00:25]I think it would be You would be blind.

[00:00:28]You would be deaf if you were to say that this case, Carmelo Anthony, with the murder, with the killing of Austin Metcalfe, is not racially charged. And that has been said, and that term has been used a lot throughout this situation. And now we're finding out Carmelo Anthony does not have one black person on that jury.

[00:00:49]Um Uh guys, innocent till proven guilty. I wish we would have been able to see how this case played out, but I don't think this is going to end well for Carmelo.

[00:00:59]Let's get into the details. Amy posted about this on X. Again, make sure you guys, if you want to stay up to date on the latest news, obviously follow Amy on X at I Amy Lee. She says this, "The jury is seated in the high-profile Carmelo Anthony trial, the murder trial. Opening statements begin today."

[00:01:16]After an intensive selection process, a 12-person jury and six alternates have been selected in the murder trial of of Austin Metcalfe, excuse me. Anthony is now facing first-degree murder charges in connection with the April 2025 stabbing of the 17-year-old Austin Metcalfe at a Frisco Regional Track Meet. So, what happened? The selection process of the jury concluded yesterday on June 3rd, following the vetting of nearly 600 prospective jurors. The final panel does not include any black jurors.

[00:01:52]Man.

[00:01:57]>> [clears throat] >> Selecting Selection controversies.

[00:02:00]Throughout the proceedings, the defense challenged the prosecution's strike of several black potential jurors, and we're going to get into that, citing concerns over the diversity of the panel. Prosecutors maintained that their strikes were based on non-racial factors, including professional back- background, such as educators.

[00:02:18]Trial logistics, she says, to ensure an orderly trial amid significant public interest and social media discourse, the judge, John Roach Jr., has implemented the strict courtroom rules. As we know, of course, we're not going to be able to see it, no audio recording, and no live streams inside the courtroom. A security perimeter has been established around the courthouse grounds. A gag order remains in effect for all involved parties.

[00:02:43]Opening statements begin today. Let's get more information about what's going down here, guys. Carmelo Oof.

[00:02:50]That's going to be tough.

[00:02:51]>> Opening statements are set for tomorrow in the trial of a former Frisco ISD student accused of murdering a fellow student at a track meet. Hello, everybody. I'm Heather Hayes.

[00:03:00]>> And I'm Steve Eagar, it's 9 o'clock.

[00:03:01]Clock, Carmelo Anthony is charged with murder for the stabbing death of Austin Metcalfe last year. The 12-person jury, plus six alternates, were selected today. Just over 10% of Collin County's population is black. There will be no black jurors. Before the final jury was seated, the defense objected to the final three black candidates being struck by the prosecution. Fox 4's Amelia Jones is here to explain what it all means for the trial.

[00:03:27]>> Now, he did point out that 10% of the people are black. So, for every 10 white people, there is one black person.

[00:03:35]Something to keep in mind.

[00:03:38]>> Heather and Steve, before the jury was seated, the issue of race in the jury selection process was brought up by the defense. Carmelo Anthony's defense team argued that some potential jurors may have been unfairly struck because of race. This is what's called a Batson challenge in legal terms, but the judge denied it saying prosecutors gave race-neutral explanations. Today morning, potential jurors returned to the Collin County Courthouse. Attorneys for both sides each got 1 hour and 45 minutes to question the reduced panel.

[00:04:09]They were questioned on a variety of topics, including their views on race, how they feel about serving on this case, and whether they would hold it against the defendant if he chose not to testify on his own behalf. The defense also tried to gauge if the potential jurors would be uncomfortable giving Carmelo Anthony a lower sentence if there's a guilty verdict. Question prospective jurors in this way, what we're left with is a jury that can approach the evidence fairly with an open mind, apply the laws the judge instructs it to the evidence, and then as was was noted today, move on to a sentencing phase of the trial as well. Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalfe last year at a Frisco ISD track meet.

[00:04:56]Witnesses say the two got in an argument and Anthony stabbed Metcalfe in the chest. Metcalfe died in his twin brother's arms. Police say Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense.

[00:05:08]The high-profile case has become racially [clears throat] charged, fueled in large part by online speculation, rumors, and misinformation. Race and jury selection became a focus in court Wednesday after the defense attorneys raised what's called a Batson challenge, a legal objection used when one side believes potential jurors were removed because of race. The defense attorneys raised concern about three black women who were potential jurors, the only black people left to potentially be on the jury.

[00:05:37]>> The party challenging the strike at that point is going to have to prove purposeful discrimination.

[00:05:44]>> And I often is a law professor at Southern Methodist University and not involved in the case. She teaches courses on criminal law and a seminar on juries. Offit says Batson challenges are rarely made and they're rarely successful.

[00:05:58]>> The reason for that is it is not very challenging for a party to be able to come up with a number of right neutral reasons, other reasons that a strike might have been exercised.

[00:06:11]>> The prosecution said the three jurors were struck because they were all educators.

[00:06:15]The stabbing happened at a school function involving students. Ultimately, the judge presiding over the case, John Roach, denied the defense's challenge saying the state had race-neutral reasons. As a court spokesperson confirmed, this means there are no black jurors on the panel.

[00:06:33]>> Listen, guys, I can I can understand if they were all educators, um, that they wouldn't want them in there. But, I can also see the defense's point that hey, listen, like this is this is going to make it a lot more difficult on them.

[00:06:48]Do you guys think he's going to be able to get a fair trial? I I want y'all to let me know what you think in the comments in the chat.

[00:06:55]I honestly don't know. I mean, just because people are white doesn't mean they can't be they can't be unbiased in a situation like this. And I think the prosecutors and the defense will do a good job explaining the law and how it applies in this case. But, with an issue being so racially charged, as they're saying, as the term is being used, it it's going to be tough and it's going to be important to make sure you have a solid jury. So, I'd love to see the questions and hear the questions that they asked them leading up to this election because you need to be sure that this man gets a fair trial, especially in this case cuz, uh, there's a lot at stake here.

[00:07:30]>> And depending on the outcome of the trial, this Batson challenge and jury selection process could come into question for any possible appeals.

[00:07:38]>> When Batson concerns have been raised on appeal is exactly the sort of inquiry into right or prospective jurors being asked the same questions, the same types of questions substantively, the same number of follow-up questions, right? It may not be enough to say these prospective jurors have been stricken because of their particular occupation.

[00:08:02]>> No electronics are allowed in the courtroom. The public was not able to hear both sides ask potential jurors questions.

[00:08:09]>> This needs to be public.

[00:08:10]>> Wednesday, 12 jurors and six alternates were chosen.

[00:08:13]>> Again, this needs to be public and shout out to Phil Holloway. I think he made a great point when he commented on this because people aren't going to be able to see and understand how the law applies in this case and I think it would be overwhelmingly important to have to have that take place, to be able to see how this goes on, to hear from the defense, to hear from the prosecution, to see it all play out because otherwise, we're just going to have the verdict at the end. People are going to come to their own conclusions and assumptions and then well that'll be that and people will still be on two sides of the fence instead of being able to have an understanding of how the law applies in this case, especially when it comes to self-defense. Now, we also have this from Frontlines TPU USA and they say this, "A jury of 12 has officially been selected for the trial of Carmelo Anthony and opening statements begin today."

[00:09:05]Their reporter and we're going to hear from the reporter here in a second went inside the courthouse today and got some insight into how Carmelo Anthony's lawyers are planning to defend his client.

[00:09:17]He told the jury he's going to refer to Carmelo as Melo for the duration of the trial. Since the since the nickname since that's the nickname his family and friends have known him by.

[00:09:28]His lawyer also seemed to focus on selecting jurors who would be sympathetic to Carmelo Anthony potentially not testifying. Dear Lord, do not put this man on the stand. The defense also highlighted that Texas is a stand your ground and constitutional carry state, which applies to both knives and guns. At a school track meet though, really guys? Let's see what she had to say.

[00:09:52]>> This is Athena Hernandez in front of the Collin County Courthouse for day three of jury selection in the Carmelo Anthony trial, and I was actually able to go into the courthouse today and listen to the defense question the jurors myself.

[00:10:04]It was very interesting and I have a couple of notes for you guys. Now, one of the first things that stood out to me is that Carmelo Anthony's lawyer, Mike Howard, stated that he's going to be referring to Carmelo Anthony as Melo for the duration of the trial. Now, he states that this is the nickname that Carmelo Anthony's friends and family know him by and refer to him as. So, he's going to be referring to him as Melo for the rest of the trial. On top of that, he's also looking for a jury that is potentially sympathetic to Carmelo Anthony not taking the stand to testify. This was a line of questioning that came up quite a bit. So, it very much seems like Carmelo may potentially not be taking the stand. Only time will tell. Again, opening arguments are supposed to be starting tomorrow, but just some insights into what the argument from his lawyer might be. What was brought up today was constitutional carry and the fact that Texas is a stand your ground state. Now, regarding constitutional carry, Carmelo's lawyer brought up the fact that this does not only encompass guns, but it also extends to knives as well. He also stated that because Texas is a stand your ground state, that Carmelo Anthony did not have a duty to retreat. So, just some insight there on what some of the arguments brought forward in defense of Carmelo might be throughout the duration of this trial.

[00:11:19]>> All right, what do you guys think? Does he have a chance? Is he going to make it out of this? Again, I will say this again because I know his father's watching. I believe he's innocent until he's proven guilty. I just wish the people could have seen this play out.

[00:11:31]And especially now seeing Y'all know how this is going to go. Seeing that he has an all white jury, God forbid.

[00:11:39]I don't want to say God forbid.

[00:11:41]If the jury sees the evidence and they decide that this man is guilty, you know how this is going to go.

[00:11:48]You know what's going to happen. You know how this is going to go down. God forbid that the the worst case scenario happens. In this case, I think this needed to be shown. I wish the judge would reconsider. I don't know if there's a way we can appeal that decision by the judge because I think it would be in the best interest, especially of that county, to let the people see what's played out.

[00:12:10]Either way, y'all let me know what you think in the comments in the chat.