A press conference featuring the parents of a Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing another teen at a track meet was interrupted Thursday when the victim's father was escorted out by police after unexpectedly appearing at the presser.
Karmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old from Frisco, was arrested April 2 and charged in connection with the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Authorities say he allegedly stabbed Metcalf in the chest after a confrontation at Kuykendall Stadium. Metcalf reportedly died in the arms of his twin brother Hunter.
Metcalf's father, Jeff Metcalf, attended Thursday's press conference in Dallas at the Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), a nonprofit organization working with Anthony’s family.
The group called the police to remove him, as NGAN founder Dominique Alexander found it “inappropriate” for Jeff Metcalf to be there. Jeff Metcalf left the conference without incident, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
“That was disrespectful and just shows you all the character,” Alexander said at the conference. “He was not invited. He knows that it’s inappropriate to be near this family, but he did it."
Kala Hayes, the accused's mother, took the podium after Jeff Metcalf was removed and said her family has been threatened and harassed since the incident, with their home and workplace addresses posted publicly online and that the family had received death threats.
Hayes also addressed the social media backlash surrounding the crowdfunding page her family started, saying they had "not received a dime" from the fundraiser and were only notified Wednesday that they would be able to begin withdrawing funds, now totaling more than $450,000.
Andrew Anthony, the father of the accused, testified during a bond reduction hearing Monday that the money was needed for his son's legal defense and for the family to relocate from their rental home because of security concerns, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Jeff Metcalf previously questioned Anthony’s family, telling NBC Dallas-Fort Worth on the day his son died, “I’m not trying to judge, but what kind of parents did this child have? What was he taught? He brought a knife to a track meet, and he murdered my son by stabbing him in the heart.”
But he did offer grace to Anthony, also saying, “I already forgive this person. Already. God takes care of things.”
Anthony's bond was lowered from $1 million to $250,000 after defense attorney Michael Howard argued the initial bond did not represent the state's intent of ensuring the accused shows up for court, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
Anthony posted the bond the same day and walked out of the Collin County Detention Facility without making a statement around 4 p.m., according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. He is required to wear an ankle monitor, remain on house arrest and check in with a bailiff every Friday.
According to the affidavit, on the rainy morning of April 2, Anthony was sitting under the Memorial High School team's tent, the school Metcalf attended. Metcalf told Anthony, who attended Centennial High School, that he needed to move.
Anthony grabbed his bag, reached inside, and told Metcalf, "Touch me and see what happens," the report stated. The two teens then scuffed and Anthony then pulled a knife out of his bag and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest, later telling officers he was acting in self-defense, according to the arrest report.
When officers said they had the alleged suspect, Anthony responded, “I’m not alleged, I did it,” the affidavit stated.
The teens were both high-achieving student athletes. Anthony has a 3.7 GPA and NGAN is currently fighting his expulsion from the Frisco Independent School District, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
Jeff Metcalf said his son was a 4.0 student, MVP of the football team and had a bright future ahead of him.
"He was on the right track,” the grieving father told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. “He was loved by many. He was a leader."
