The Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing a fellow 17-year-old student athlete during a track meet at Frisco has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder. 

Karmelo Anthony, now 18 years old, was arrested on April 2 after the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf during a track meet. The accused killer claims that he acted in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty. 

Mr. Anthony has been under house arrest since he was released on reduced bond in April. Because he was 17 at the time of the incident, Mr. Anthony is considered an adult under the Texas criminal justice system. If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. 

The indictment was issued Tuesday after the Collin County district attorney, Greg Willis, spent weeks presenting evidence to a grand jury. 

“We know this case has struck a deep nerve — here in Collin County and beyond. That’s understandable. When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core,” Mr. Willis stated in a news release. “But the justice system works best when it moves with steadiness and with principle. That’s what we’re committed to. And that’s exactly what this case deserves.”

Mr. Willis also paid tribute to the Metcalf family, urging the community to “keep them in your thoughts — and if you’re willing, in your prayers as well.” The slain teen’s father, Jeff Metcalf, responded to the indictment by noting that he was “glad this process is moving forward, and I look ahead to the trial now.” 

Mr. Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, reiterated his client’s claims of self-defense, saying in a video statement that “Karmelo and his family are confident in the justice system and the people of Collin County to be fair and impartial. Of course, Karmelo looks forward to his day in court.”

Mr. Howard insisted that “it’s only in a trial that the full story can be heard, and that impartial justice can be done. We expect that when the full story is heard, the prosecution will not be able to rule out the reasonable doubt that Karmelo Anthony may have acted in self-defense.”

The deadly incident occurred when Metcalf, a student at Frisco Memorial High School, asked Mr. Anthony, a student of Centennial High School, to move from his seat under the Memorial High School tent.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, witnesses testified that Mr. Anthony then reached into his backpack and warned, “Touch me and see what happens.” As Metcalf went to grab Mr. Anthony to move him, Mr. Anthony allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest. Metcalf’s twin, Hunter, said he tried to save his bleeding brother before he succumbed to his injuries in his arms.

Mr. Anthony was released from jail two weeks later after his bond was reduced to $250,000 from $1 million. His homecoming was met with fierce criticism by victims’ rights advocates as well as conservative commentators, who claim the case would be handled very differently by law enforcement and the media if the races of the two teens were reversed. 

The Anthony family has been vocal about the racially charged threats and harassment that they have received in the wake of their son’s arrest. Next Generation Action Network, which is assisting the Anthony family, said the family has been targeted by false food deliveries, intimidation, and disturbing mailings, including Metcalf’s obituary.

At the same time, Mr. Anthony has also received an outpouring of support from the public. A GiveSendGo fundraiser raised more than $536,380 for Mr. Anthony and his family. The money, according to the family, has been used for their son’s legal expenses as well as to finance the family’s “safe relocation” amid “escalating threats to their safety and well-being” and to cover their “basic living costs, transportation, counseling, and other security measures.” 

A GoFundMe for the family of Austin Metcalf raised more than $561,410. Metcalf’s grieving father wrote in the fundraiser that his son “was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him” whose “smile would light up the room.” Mr. Metcalf lamented that his son’s passion for football — which led him to be voted team MVP last season — was “unbelievable.”

“We will all remember him for the way he impacted others’ lives. I love you forever, son. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. God will take care of us till we meet again. RIP. Love, Dad,” he wrote. 

Mr. Metcalf has expressed sympathy for the suspect and his family, telling local news outlets that he feels for the Anthony family because “his life is over, his family will be devastated also.”