Verdict Sentencing and Final Thoughts

On Wednesday morning, seventeen year old Austin Metcalfe, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas, was killed at a track meet. Several witnesses, including Metcalf's twin brother, describe how that deadly encounter went down. My son is gone and I I don't really have words I've tried I figure out what I was gonna to say, but he's just gonna be so missed. I feel sorry for that individual becausecause he's now made a mistake that's gonna cost him the rest of his life. My son watched his brother die in his arms Hey trrue crrime Besties, welcome back to an all new episode of Serial Eleep Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all new episode of Serialiously with me, your host and your true crime BFF, here to talk all things Tue crime with you today. And you know what happens on Monday, right It's deep dive Monday, where we are going through everything. the rumors, the theories, the speculation, the facts, the trial, everything about this case. And look, I've got to say This case, it is polarizing. There is also a lot of division and a lot of controversy out there. It just recently wrapped up the trial phase and so many of you guys have been requesting that I cover this because like I said, there are a lot of opinions out there And I did do an original deep dive episode on this case about a year ago shortly after the entire incident happened. But Because so many of you have been DMing and answering my questions about what case, what case and this one just wrapped We're going to go back to it because there is new information. The trial has wrapped. the sentencing has happened And I don't know. it's just one that like I said, there are so many varying opinions on. Now if you don't know what I'm talking about yet, let me just tell you It is the case of Austin, Metcalf and Carmelo Anthony This is a case that happened in Texas back in the spring of twenty twenty five and it has rattled the nation to its core mainly because of all of the controversy and the hot takes surrounding it. Of course, also because it is two teenage boys whose lives One of them ended, the oth, the other completely destroyed. and There's just a lot of information that I want to get into As always, even though this case has been adjudicated now at this point We will be talking through a lot of the rumors that have been happening, the speculation, some things from early on in the investigation. So do your own research, form your own opinions, just, you know, and I ask that you please keep it civil in the comment section because I know not all of you are going to agree and be on, you know I think there will be some back and forth. So we're all friends here guys. 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So grab those items now, annielise dot comot The case begins on april second, twenty twenty five, around ten AM Two high school boys, seventeen years old, Austin Metcalf and Carmelo Anthony, were at a track meet in Frisco, Texas. The two of them got into an argument with one another, and then the argument turned fatal Austin was a student at Memorial High School, while Carmelo went to centennial High schoolool, so two separate high schools, but still in the same school district in Frisco. Now as for the fight itself, in terms of who did what, who started it, who instigated it, nobody really seems to agree on the facts of the case It's one of those situations where it all really depends on who you're asking and who's retelling the story to you. But so far as like the broad strokes of it go, everyone is mostly in agreement of what really took place. Apparently, there were these different tents that were set up for the different high schools. So everybody at the track meet would really have their own area to hang out with their own classmates and they wouldn't have to be around other people from rival schools or even just other schools, right? According to witnesses, for whatever reason, Carmelo was at Austin's team's tent. And I don't know if maybe he was at this tent because he wanted to talk with somebody that he knew or if he had a reason to be there What I do know is that apparently Austin took issue with Carmelo being there. According to one of the witnesses on the scene, Austin went up to Carmelo and told him he needed to leave. He needed to go and find his own team's tent. But instead of listening, Carmelo grabbed his backpack and he reached his hand inside of it Kind of insinuating that he had something in there, but not really fully showing Austin what it was yet, just kind of like a threat, you know, putting his hand in being like, oh, yeah, I need to, kindind of like that, you get what I mean. But then he allegedly said to Austin Touch me and see what happens. And according to the police report Austin then pushed Carmelo So then Carmelo said something like, okay, punch me and see what happens. And I'll just be clear. I don't know if those were his exact words verbatim, but it was something to that effect. So at this point, things were getting more and more heated and you could really tell that the vibe was off and that these two seventeen year old kids were starting to get angry at each other and Tensions were starting to build. Then, Austin apparently grabbed Carmela And it seemed like maybe he was trying to physically remove him from the tent, like pushing him out or dragging him out, but being like, I'm going to get you out if you're not gonna to leave something like that. But then Carmelo took his hand out of the bag. And he showed Austin what he had been holding on to. And it was something that witnesses described as being a quote black knife. And I don't know what kind of knife it was, if it was a kitchen knife, a pocket knife, a K bar knife, I don't really know. I don't even know if it was maybe something else. But what the witness described it as being was a black knife. That is what they said Before anybody could react to this or stop what was happening, Carmelo grabbed this sharp instrument out of his backpack and he stabbed Austin right in the chest, once really hard, right near his chest. Then, Carmelo apparently ran away from the tent as soon as he possibly could. He just booked it and fled the scene However, it, of course didn't make this entire situation any less chaotic, right? People were panicking. There was now this seventeen year old teenage kid on the ground with this knife type instrument sticking out of his chest, just bleeding out by the second. Talk about traumatic for everybody involved, adults, kids, anybody who is there Now in a very heartbreaking and harrowing detail. Austin was actually a twin And his brother Hunter was inside the tent when all of this went down. And I guess Hunter either heard all of the commotion or he saw like the mass panic and everybody running and everybody trying to make sense of what was going on, but he knew that his brother was inside that tent. So when he saw all of this chaos unfolding, he ran over to check on his twin brother Austin And when he got there, that's when he saw Austin just lying there, barely conscious. So reportedly Hunter laid there with Austin, just holding his twin brother in his arms, waiting for help, hoping that somebody was going to come and fix this and make his brother better and make him conscious again And somebody did, of course, call nine hundred and eleven, and paramedics and first responders rushed to the scene, but Austin's injuries were too serious for them to be able to help him. They tried. I mean, they pulled Hunter away from Austin. They tried giving Austin CPR. they even tried giving him some blood But unfortunately, the injuries were too serious Austin was gone His brother, his twin brother held him in his arms as he his twin brother passed away. It's just baking at just seventeen years old. What happened to today? I don't know. I just I got a phone call from Hunter. He was screaming that Austin had been stabbed. U I was at work and so I drove I work in Grapevines. so I drove up to the hospital straight away. I actually beat the ambulance there Um Yeah, I saw them have him come out. He was on a lot of machines and it didn't take long for them to come in to say that he had passed So, u not sure senseless act of a boy that was in the wrong tent and my son doing the right thing by telling that boy that he needed to be removed from where he was and justust doesn't make any sense. I mean that's my just because the kid was mad, my son is not here anymore. and I don't understand it. Now I told you that Hunter hasn't spoken out much about all of this, but he has said a little bit And there is one quote from him that I feel like I just need to share with you because it's such a gut punch, but it also is so indicative of that moment and what these boys went through, what this boy particularly went through. He says, quote, I put my hand on there I grabbed his hand and I looked in his eyes. I just saw his soul leave, and it took mine too just heartbreaking, right? I mean, we all hear about the connection that twins have with one another, that you can feel their pain, you can feel their emotion, you can feel everything. So to be there with your twin brother, holding his hand as he takes his last breath and according to Hunter, watching his soul leave his body and feeling your own soul, leave your body with him It is so devastating. It breaks my heart. Now as for Carmelo, the kid from the other school who stabbed Austin, he took off from the tent, but it wasn't like he was hiding or on the run or anything like that. becausecause when the police officers arrived, he was actually standing right there on the track not seeming like he was trying to make a run for it away from the police, just more so that he tried to get out of the tent. He wanted to get away from the actual scene of the crime and where it all went down. but then he was just standing there on the track while the police officers arrived, not trying to hide, not trying to make a run for, just standing there. Meanwhile, he had thrown the murder weapon at some point into the bleachers, and the officers were able to recover it while it was still just lying there where he had thrown it. It was right between row nine and ten, not too far from the aisleay. It seems as though when he fled the tent, he just threw it trying to get rid of it before maybe reality of everything that was going on set in. And what I mean by that is that maybe he tried to throw it because he was going to take off and go on the run, and then he realized he couldn't. And again, that's just my personal opinion. So anyway, it's not like the police had to do this massive search for Carmelo or for the murder weapon In fact, he was pretty cooperative when the police started questioning him and even when they ultimately arrested him. However, everybody was pretty surprised when they heard what his reasoning for stabbing Austin was, because Carmelo was saying that the entire thing happened in self defense Today's episode is sponsored by Veracity. 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And before this officer could even put Carmelo in handcuffs, Carmelo actually said the words, quote, I was protecting myself. Then when the officer got on the radio to say that he had the alleged suspect in custody Carmelo apparently interrupted him and said, I'm not alleged. I did it just seemingly having nothing to hide. Now at one point during the walk back to the police cruiser, the officer claimed that Carmelo also said to him, you know, he put his hands on me. I told him not to. Kind of like as a hey, I told him this would happen or I told him he shouldn't do that and he did it anyway Then at one point he asked if Austin was okay or if he was going to be okay because apparently he had no idea that Austin was dying and then did die. Although I'm sure he may have suspected that it was a possibility and that's why he was asking, he certainly didn't know that that had already happened. The truth became clear enough though before long, because Carmelo ultimately ended up being charged with first degree murder And of course, I'm going to talk a bit more about the case and some recent developments. But before I do that, I do want to talk a little bit more about Austin. I want to just talk about the kind of kid that Austin was, because it's so tragic that he was a victim and that he lost his life in this, but he was also so much more than that And I always think that it's important that we remember people for who they were when they were alive, not just for how they died, right? And like I said, Austin was a twin. He and his twin brother, Hunter, were very close for their entire lives. Austin was also described as being a peacemaker, somebody who always liked to make sure that everybody was getting along, that everything was good between people, and that everybody was always having a good time He also had big dreams, dreams that can now never be fulfilled Tell me about. What do you want to know about your boy He was most amazing kid Wow, so smart. He had college football. guysuys looking at him to play in college. hisis goal was to play in college. He just wanted the play football, his life was going to the gym and working out and being a leader on his football team and he just had Such ambitions and and drive that it's hard to find in a kid. And he's just such a good spirit and so many kids loved him and His brother's lost his best friend They're twins, right? Yeah, identical twins. Yeah I't like They are the best of friends. like just I'm so worried about my son because he's gonna to have to face this world alone now because he had a brother that was with him the whole time. and now he's onna gonna have to do it alone and I'm just so worried about him. I really am. Austin was also always looking out for his brother Hunter. He always had Hunter's back no matter if he was in the right in the wrong, It didn't matter. Austin was only born about four minutes before Hunter But even though that he technically was the older one and I guess they were born at the same time, like at the same moment, Austin just always seemed like the older and wiser brother. He always wanted to take care of Hunter. He felt like that innate instinct of just protectiveness over his brother Now, whenever the boys weren't playing sports, they loved to go hunting, especially with their dad. And not only was it a really special bonding activity anytime they got to do it together, but it was also the last thing that any of the three of them were able to do together the weekend before Austin's murder I mean, our relationship is really the tightest I've ever seen as somebody like between the inner leags, I mean, We did everything together the dishes together, do the artwork together, sports. you name anything in the world, It's always us two and one thing. So you're always just basically one person.' just a few minutes apart? Four minutes.. Awesome us first. by four minutes. he got stuck in me technically you're a bigger br man. He knows a lot of big brother stuff around He's always on my back. E if I'm in the wrong, he'll always take my side no matter what so it's just really heartbreaking to see someone that cares for you that much and does everything even by your side no matter what That way like that. Y mom told me that you were there? Yes, ma'am. you don't mind what happened There was This kid before I knew his name now This could is under our dark tent at track They ask him to move He started getting aggressive and talking reckless And my brother stepped in and said, He need to move and And he's like, makeake me move. Al, grab this his backack. This kid. I tried to whip around as fast as I could, but I didn't see the stab But then I look my I look at my brother and I'm not going to talk about the rest. No that's just what I saw. I mean, I I try to help them, but It was just sentseless. It was it was really senseless, really I don't know why my person would do that to someone just over that. Well the argument its just it's just crazy in this world nowadays how people just wouldn't do that much I a man had a family. that man people that care about him all the time and he did everything for our family too. He was a strong man. He was strong strong kid. Austin obviously is the son and also Hunter you're talking about here? Yes me through who Austin was to you. I know that you've said so much about him, I think in the last twenty four hours here. Everyone else has said a lot about him too about how great of a kid he was. in your eyes, though. justust as a father, who was he to you My boys are the biggest blessing in my life. God provided them to me God's going to get me through this I had a dream last night And Austin came to me and said I'm okay Ges me peace doesn't mean I don't hur It gives me great peace So One of the things My son, Hunter hisis ability to stay strong is a character to his brother His brother They had each other's back They were tight. I've never seen a bond like that. Being identical twins, technically, Austin was his big brother Those boys or my everything? hadad cancer Almost ten years ago, I wasn't supposed to live But that was my why to fight. And without those boys, I probably would have suscumbed and gave in. But they were in my heart and I fought hard because I wanted to be their father. I wanted to be there for them. Throughout the years they grow up. and so I can share my wisdom and share my mistakes so they won't do the same Austin was an outstanding athlete person, friend, Loyal, loving, He would light up the room He was such a leader naturally. on that team, he would fire those guys up He would step on that field and he would become a totally different person His level of play. was above most everyone else. He led the team He was voted Team MVP. byys coaches and teammates He's had multiple coaches, colleges contacting He is One of the most outstanding him and his brother both have been athletes all their lives from soccer to baseball. to Juzitsu to football They did it all And they excelled every time. And I told them, you guys are so lucky Because not everyone has your talent, but you have to make sure you take that talent and harness it in the right way. And Austin was able to harness many things in his life. loyalty to his brother. His love for all his friends and family He was such an outstanding young man. I was so proud. I bragged on my children all the time. Anyone who knows me, knows how much my kids meant to me. They were my entire world. My My world's a little shattered But I still have Hunter and always have Austin. Now, one of the biggest questions in this case and what has people so riled up? and we're going to get to more of the division of why in a moment here. But one of the biggest questions is how does a seventeen year old boy go from being so innocent and being so loved by family and friends to then not making it out of a track meet alive, especially at the hands of another seventeen year old boy. So I think that these were the questions that a lot of people were asking because Austin's case just felt too close to home for all of these other parents out there. Even if it happened miles away or states away, it felt like If this could happen to him, it could happen to any of our kids. Obviously, this is not about me. I have a seventeen year old son. I live twenty miles south of you My son's in Frisco every night playing soccer and we have a lot of friends of friends who knew Who knew Austin? So the tight the circles got tight and it's hit really close to home And I'm just so sorry for you Can you explain us at all today? how you feel? It's just got to be so the word I keep coming back to, Meghgan is incomprehensible. How could this happen at a track meet? It is H She just took my my son is gone and I have I don't really have words. I've tried to figure out what I was gonna say, but he's just gonna be so missed by mostly our family, but this whole community has really wrapped their arms around us and and If I could say anything to the nation, I would say to make sure that you just hug your baby's tight It you know know the last time you get to do it Hunter, I knowew you were there Thank you, Meghgan. Take your time Now while I don't think that there's anything I could say or any information that I could uncover that would make this make sense or feel fair, I mean, of course not, but it also is natural to want to understand how something like this happens and what can drive somebody to commit murder. Like maybe it would be a little bit more understandable if Austin and Carmelo knew one another, if they had some kind of conflict in their past maybe makeakes sense as to what the motive in all of this was. And in fact, not too long after the stabbing, rumors began to spread that Austin and Carmelo did in fact know one another In fact, that Austin was Carmelo's longtime bully. And the rumor made it seem like Carmelo had been building up to this for quite a while, or like Austin maybe had somehow brought this on himself. So it was almost a little victim blamey, but people were saying, you know Yeah, Austin was a bully. He bullied Carmelo forever, so it was only a matter of time before Carmelo snapped, that kind of thing. However, what I do want to say through all of the research is that these rumors were complete bullshit, not substantiated at all. A spokesperson for Carmelo's family even came forward to say that Austin had never bullied Carmelo there was absolutely no truth to any of these rumors or any of the gossips. The spokesperson also said, quote The disinformation that is going online is hurting this case and it has to stop. As we know right now, Austin Metcalf and Carmelo Anthony did not know each other And this same spokesperson has also alluded to saying that there is more to the story Every Texan has the right to defend themselves when they reasonably fear for their life Self defense is a protection that applies to each and every one of us There are two sides to every story And Carmelo is a seventeen year old kid and an excellent student He is the captain of his track team. He is the captain of his football team. And prior to this, he was What was on his mind was What college he was going to go to U this is a tragedy all the way around for both families Rushing to judgment You know, trial by public perception and trial by media is not how we ensure justice is done. We are confident that after a full investigation that the truth will come out. Now, I think that we can all believe and trust the spokesperson in this situation, right? I mean, it would probably help Carmelo's case if Austin was his bully. It would be easier for him to argue self defense if there was a history of Austin picking on him and hurting him So the fact that Carmelo's family didn't go that route and actually put the Kabos on all of those rumors and they didn't, you know lom onto this idea of Austin being a bully, it tells me that they were probably being honest when they said that the boys didn't know one another They were just two strangers arguing about something that was so unimportant. I mean, about who gets to sit under a particular tent A simple argument that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things yet somehow it escalated from that to murder. Now that being said, I do want to share a quote that comes from Austin's dad Jeff, because he witnessed the stabbing, and he has spoken out about what he saw. Again, it's not like this one quote can make sense of all of the insanity in this case, Certainly not But he has publicly shared some details about the fight and about the stabbing, so that hopefully it provides a little bit more context and it makes all of this a little bit easier to understand and grasp. And he said, quote They were sitting there and someone was behind them mouthing off and then they turned around and said, Who are you And he said, I'm mellow. And they said, well, you don't belong here. you don't go to memorial He had a centennial tracksuit on, so they said, Well, you need to leave. this ain't your spot. And then some words were discussed that I'm not going to say on camera, but he asked them to leave. And he basically said, makeake me And then he wound up stabbing him in the heart and killing him all over someone sitting in the wrong spot at a track meet. So yes, it was still completely random, but to hear Jeff tell it, it's not like the boys went from arguing to stabbing out of nowhere. It was like there was some kind of buildup, some kind of escalation. Now again, why it was important of who sat under what tent I don't know, but it sounds like Austin and his friends were telling Carmelo to get out of the tent and for whatever reason that struck a chord with him, so much so to grab a weapon and attack Austin Now, what I will say on the opposite side of that is that a lot of people find it difficult to believe that Carmelo would have needed to defend himself. And that's because Austin was apparently a good kid who didn't have a history of violence or any type of aggression. So to them, it seemed strange that he would threaten Carmelo badly enough Carmelo would feel like his only option was to stab someone to protect himself. That said, Carmelo also didn't have any history of violence. He too was a good kid, a good student, a good athlete, and definitely not the sort of person that you would ever expect to commit a murder Again, if it really was a murder and not self defense, like he claimed. Carmelo was a good student. He had a GPA of three point seven, He was the captain of the football and the track team. His teammates and his peers all respected him, loved him. He even worked two jobs in what little free time he had He worked at foot locker and he worked at a local supermarket And as for his family, they had moved to the area just a few years earlier from Baton Rouge. His parents were well respected. Carmelo was the oldest of four kids. They all had a good family dynamic. so it wasn't like you could make heads or tails of this at a surface level of somebody who had a history or a problematic background. I mean, no, both of these boys, seventeen years old, good kids, good students, good friends, good families, which I think makes this case even more polarizing when you try to dissect it. Now this detail might be key Carmelo had never been arrested before, not even for something small like loitering or trespassing or littering, nothing like that. Apparently there were just no red flags, no warning signs to suggest that he may have a weapon on his person, that he may use that weapon on another peer at some point. I mean, nothing. However, of course, like I said, this case is divided and not everybody feels that way In part, because not everybody is using the same facts. Not everybody is forming opinions using the same information One thing I've realized as I've gotten busier is how much I value products that will like simplify my life instead of adding more clutter. 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And there have also been a lot of people trying to sort of latch ono this case in order to promote certain agendas or make certain points and take a certain side. Of course, it's important to, yes, raise awareness of certain issues and sometimes pointing to a tragedy and recognizing that there are ways that it could have been prevented is the right way to do that and to achieve that But it also does feel like at times People have sort of ignored the real people who were impacted by Austin's death just so that they could score points. because there's one detail that I haven't mentioned so far. And depending on who you ask, it's either a detail that doesn't matter much at all and it's wrong to even focus on it too much O it's the key issue that makes this entire stabbing make sense. And that detail is that this was a case of a black teen stabbing a white teen. See, not long after Austin's murder, a political candidate named Jake Lang, who is running for the U. S. Senate, organized a protest titled protect white Americans. It's also worth mentioning that Jake was one of the pardoned january sixth protesters. so if his name sounds at all familiar to you, that might be why. But anyway, Jake organized the protest not long after Carmelo's bail was lowered from one million dollars to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And on april fourteenth, he was able to pay his bail and he was released to wait for his trial at home. I feel it's fair You know, Bond as the judge said is not supposed to be an instrument of oppression. It's not supposed to keep people in jail. It's not supposed to punish. Now of course, there were stipulations to his release. He has to wear an ankle monitor. He can't leave his house without prior court approval. But anyway, that's Bird Jake to then organize this protest And he also created a flyer advertising the protest, which read, Justin for Austin Metcalf, demand Carmelo Anthony be put back in prison until trial. Now trust me, I will be the first person to say, I understand the feeling that somebody who has been accused of murder should not get bail There have even been times when I personally have felt like certain people shouldn't be allowed out, especially when a child is involved in the case as a victim. Sometimes there are good reasons for somebody to be held without bail. They might be a flight risk, they might pose a danger to other people, maybe even pose a danger to themselves. I mean, there are a wide variety of reasons. But I think that the whole issue here is the protect white Americans thing. and that's a direct quote, okay? I'm not just saying that. That is his quote that he was using. because Jake didn't want to stop Carmelo from harming just anyone only white people And you can see where now politics were really coming into play here. Carmelo's parents argued that he was neither a flight risk nor a danger, and according to them, he didn't even have a passport, so it's not like he could have fled the country. And they said that keeping him on house arrest would allow him to be near his family and friends who would help, quote, keep him accountable Those again are their words, not mine, but they say that the people in Carmelo's life will help keep him accountable. Now, on the other hand, some people have argued that even though Carmelo didn't have any prior arrests or convictions, he was allegedly involved in an altercation in school on february fourth of twenty twenty five so a couple of months prior to the stabbing incident. Unfortunately, I don't know much that has been proven as fact about this altercation, but apparently it wasn't serious enough for law enforcement to get involved. I did see some rumors floating around that he allegedly had brought a knife to school once before but I couldn't find anything to confirm it is true. And even if that did really happen and it was true, I don't know if that was the February incident that is being referred to or if maybe that was a separate unrelated incident. But all to say, everybody had an opinion in this. Everybody had a different take on whether it was fair or not for Carmello to be out on bail at this point And my personal opinion is that I see both sides of the argument. I see Austin's friends and family and advocates wanting Carmelo to remain behind bars because he's a threat, because he's impulsive. He reacted so quickly and so dangerously and that is scary and that is risky and dangerous. Yet I also see Carmel' side of the argument and his parents and him saying he's never had a bad history. He's a good student, good friend. He was provoked. this was self defense ankle monitor on him, let him remain at home with his family. We will keep him accountable. I see both sides to it And that is why it is so great that we have a judge who decides things in situations like this and not peers. And while there has been so much division out there about race and the politics of it all, I will say Austin's dad, Jeff has been defending Carmelo kind of I mean, obviously it's not like he's okay with the fact that Carmelo stabbed his son. obviously not, not at all. But he has come forward to tell people to stop making this political and about race. that this is not what this case should be about. Jeff even reached out directly to Jake Lang, the guy who wants to be the U. S. Senator who put that whole protect white Americans protest together. And he told him, Hey, take Austin's name and school picture off of your website. takeake it off of your materials. I don't want Austin to be a part of anything that you're stirring up Instead, he wanted the focus to solely be on getting Carmelo to trial and getting justice for Austin That's it. I want to clarify something right off the start because I've already heard some rumors and gossip This was not a race thing And this is not a political thing. No I think we can all agree. The fact that Austin's family can't even focus on laying him to rest and grieving properly because they have to tell people who are claiming to be their supporters to stop is insane. If you are a supporter, leave the family alone if that's what they're requesting And even though Jeff spoke out against it, the protest happened on april nineteenth The organizer spoke with Jeff directly and Jeff was not having it. do for you Jeff, first of all, my entire heart rests in your hands. I would be in my position. notot even if somebody even knew your son, but somebody that shares the same understanding. I grew up as a seventeen year old young white man too And I grew up in fear of my life around black people because they were killing and robbing people around me all the time. And I don't understand as I as a father, you could sit idly by and not condemn the culture that killed your son. There is an epidemic problem in this country and your voice could be one of the loudest voices in this country, but you've chosen to recoil out of fear and continue the suppression Why will you not stand with me and with the rest of the people We're not calling for racial divide. We're not calling for hatred. We're saying three hundred fifty thousand attacks on white people by black people a year in this country is wrong. Why can't you stand that and say with with that? Maybe you can Would you be willing to stand by me in a press conference or in an individual interview and talk about this issue that is larger than Austin at this point. God rest the beautiful young man's soul that would have been one of our strongest voices if he was still alive today Yes, I am, sir Okay, my turn to speak You Part of the problem, my friend, you're trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap. I do not condone anything you do. do not have any That's called white Gilt. You let us My son, let me finish. I give you your time. You take my son's faces off your website.' You're creating more Austesin Medcas with your weakness, sir. You are creating more A M. I mean, this whole thing was a mess. He's calling this grieving father weak. He's using racial slurs as a way to like bolster his opinion and his point of view. and it is just appalling. anyy way you look at it in my opinion. I don't think that you can use murder as a way to justify any sort of white supremacy. And I'm not saying that that's exactly what he's doing, but It definitely comes across like that Now another thing about Jeff, Austin's dad Is there were some reports that he was supposedly arrested himself back in twenty eleven for se However, I want to be clear, we researched it, we looked into it, and I have not been able to verify this claim. The countounty Sheriff's offffice even told us that there were no arrest records or police incident report for any sort of arrests like that related to Jeff. So again, could this just be one more piece of wild misinformation that's been going around seems to be because there's no evidence to back it up. at least nothing that we could find and with our discussions with the shheriff's office, nothing that they have on record either. While we're on the topic of insane rumors, I also saw one story about Austin's cause of death. And if this wasn't such a serious case I gott to say, this would almost be laughable because the rumor goes that Austin didn't die from this stab wound that was really close to his heart, like witnesses saw and like we know, happened, but rather from an MDMA overdose which MDMA is like a drug, like a Molly, GHB mixture cocktail like, it's like this heavy drug, which I don't even understand how that could be slightly believable given what we know to be true about this incident Yet that is what Pe are sayaying out there another rumor that is going around Now the police chief in Frisco, Texas is calling for call and calling for people to stop spreading misinformation about the case. His call to stop the rumors began after someone posted a fake autopsy online, claiming that the victim was high on drugs and that the stabbing was not the primary cause of death. The police chief says none of that is true and posted, Beware of those taking to social media to deliberately spread misinformation, hate ar and division. With the rampant misinformation that's out there, the chaos and the hate has been spreading like wildfire. Carmelo has been getting hate mail, death threats. The rest of his family has also been on the receiving end of those, and it's been bad enough that they all had to address it at press conference And this was the first time that they held a public event like this for the press. So I'd imagine that none of them ever even wanted to be in this type of situation. Yet given how out of hand all these nasty rumors and gossip are getting, they felt like they had no other choice but to confront it head on Austin's dad Jeff even actually made an unexpected appearance before the conference even started. Which you can imagine, that caused a little bit of a ruckus because apparently, Carmelo's family hadn't invited him, and they claimed that his presence there was a disrespect to the dignity of his own son. Yet Jeff argued that he simply wanted to be there to show that these two families were coming together in a productive way they didn't have to be enemies. they didn't have to fight each other that they could be alliances together to get to the truth and to get justice for both of their sons. But the Anthony family They weren't having it. They still asked Jeff to leave. And when he didn't, They warned him that he was going to be charged with trespassing if he didn't go away on his own Good afternoon My name is Kayla Hayes. I am the mother of Carmelo Anthony. Three years ago, my family moved to Norark, Texas, searching for a better life Like so many other families, we wanted to give our children the future we did not have My husband works hard every single day to provide for us To make sure we' the best financial to make sure we're in the best financial position Possible As a stay at home mom, I made it my life's mission to ensure our children are loved Nurture it and support it every step of the way and wake of this tragic incident Our family has been under attack. Whatever you think what happened between Carmelo and the metet calf boys, my three younger children, my husband and I didn't do anything to deserve to be threatened harassed and lied about The lies and false accusations that have been said about us, especially over the past week. has been overwhelming The lives and their amplification put my family in danger as well as everyone in our community. Everyone involves an investigation from the police, the attorneys, and the courts there. Our address and my husband's previous employer's address has been put on all social media platforms. My husband had to take a leave of absence because he's afraid what may happen to our family His mental health is deteriorating day by day. We have endured death threats My thirteen year daughter is afraid to sleep at home She's fearful Oh what might happen to her And let me be clear, The claims The claims that were used about the public donation to buy a home or anything else are completely false. We have not received a single g Someay g s go fundraiser And the cofounder has stated that clearly In the reality, we were just notified yesterday that we could begin to withdraw funds. And it still takes several days to receive those funds once a request is made I don't know why we arere being target. and discriminated against before a fair trial I was fed des sererve the same rights under the law that everyone is aorded to He's been raised in a two parent home with structure Stability love and we put God first in everything that we do We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the laws of this state But those laws must apply to all of us, not just some of us. To be clear, when not speak publicly about specific details of what happened under the tent on that rainy and awful day There's an active investigation that everyone involved wants to be full and fair We believe in the legal process and that is where a truth will come out. So the family, who experienced the loss? My heart truly G out to you To those who have supported my family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts A we actuallyll your ksingit support Patience and prayers as we navigate this biblical process. Thank you. Now, regardless of which side of this case you stand on, I think we can all agree that that was a very emotionally charged speech that was given and statement She was scared for her family and for her other children. She was nervous about the death threats. She just wanted her son to have a fair trial. whichich did happen about a week ago now, and we're gonna get into all of that shortly I am all about not feeling like trash after a night of being out with my friends. Sure, I love like letting loose, feeling that kind of like social buzz and hanging out, but alcohol, it just doesn't work with me or my body the way that it used to. And that's why I truly do enjoy taking Willie's rememedy. It's a low calorie, low sugar, alcohol alternative that actually works It gives you a fast acting euphoric social buzz, but without the regrets, they come with alcohol And Willie's Social Tonics comes in five milligram and ten milligram doses with a best in class flavor experience. so smooth and balanced that you barely even realize you're drinking a THC product at all And one shot of Willie's will help you relax, unwind, and distress. Willie's also has sold out three times in the first six months with over fifty thousand happy customers. and they just restock Willie ships directly to your door in over forty states. So order now at drinkwillies dot com and use code serialiously for twenty percent off your first order plus free shipping on orders over ninety five dollars. and enjoy life in the H countountry And I also want to touch on something that you just heard in that clip. There's been rumors going around about the family misusing funds, and that has been another really polarizing issue in this case. Because after Carmelo's arrest, his family set up a fundraising account on Something like a go fund me, but not that. This platform is called give send Go. Sort of like a kickstarter, sort of like a go fund me, but basically where you crowdsource funds. And the description of the fundraiser said that it was for Carmelo's legal costs because as we know, good lawyers do not come cheap And they very quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. But with that comes more issues, like saying goes, M money, more problems. because of course, it took no time at all before rumors began spreading, saying Carmelo's family was using this money to fund their lavish lifestyle to rent a nine hundred thousand dollars home that's located in a gated community, to get a new luxury car, to hire private security, not using it for the defense attorneys and for the lawyers, but using it to fund their lifestyle One of their neighbors allegedly also spoke out with a news outlet, staying anonymous, of course, claiming that the family bought a brand new Cadillac Escalade And Cadillac Eescalades have the sticker price of something like one hundred fifty thousand dollars right now. Supposedly they parked it right in front of their driveway for like the whole world to see. justust very proud of this purchase too. So something about the funds being mishandled and misused is not sitting right with the public either Again, just an allegation. Now this alleged neighbor also said, quote He got a new car. If you look at the license plate, it's got a paper tag and it says that it expires june fourth. Now I'm not sure if the he that this neighbor is referring to is Carmelo or maybe Carmelo's dad Andrew, but either way, they are claiming that it's one of the family members's cars and that it's a brand new purchase ever since they started raising all of this money And the reason that that detail about the paper tag that expires on june fourth is so important is because in Texas, paper tags or temporary license plates are only good for sixty days. So if they had temporary plates that expired on june fourth, that would mean that they bought the car on april fourth which was just two days after the stabbing took place. And look, I'm going gonna to play Dvil's Adocate here for a moment Because you've got to admit, the rumors look pretty bad if they are true. So I decided to dig a little deeper and see if there really was anything to these rumors. And here's what I found. First, this is something I mentioned earlier, but Carmelo's bail was originally set at one million dollars. Then it got reduced to two hundred fifty thousand dollars Apparently, this was because his dad Andrew claimed at the bond hearing that the family was going through a financial hardship They couldn't pay the original bail. It wasn't fair for it to be so high. It needed to be lowered. The judge, of course, asked them why they couldn't just use the money for this bail amount with the money that they had raised online, which his dad Andrew replied that they couldn't use it for bail because that's not what it was for those donations were specifically to go to Carmelo's legal fees. That said He did admit that they did use some of that money for non legal things Specifically, security at their house was one of the things that they used this money on after they started receiving death threats. and then they also apparently had to move because their home address had been doxed and What doxing is is when your personal information, whether it's your phone number, your address, your workplace, any private personal information is publicly available online and published online and kind of spammed all over the place. So what he's saying is that their home address had been doxed So because of that, random strangers learned where they lived. So coupled with the death threats, they had no other option but to relocate temporarily or maybe even more long term. So Carmelo's lawyer spoke out saying, quote, it would be disingenuous to say there isn't money. but it's not a bond fund. This family needs to be able to survive. So again, it seems clear to me that a lot of these rumors are just misinformation or vastly exaggerated I think it's things people are just making up to muddy the waters, and to make a case that's already pretty complicated, even harder to understand. So I guess it all has to be taken with a grain of salt, and you can each decide for yourself what you believe here. But when it comes to the hate being shown toward both Carmelo and his family I think it's important to be clear that Austin's family has never encouraged the hate or the harassment of any of it If anything, they have publicly been trying to neutralize it. They never supported in or participated in any of the protests. They never told people to send death threats. They never told anybody to dox them to get involved nothing We haven't really had a chance to talk to you about this. You had mentioned a few times that you had forgiven the suspect for what That' correct. He did. I do But we just informed you about these documents and that doesn't change anything This has to do with me and God God teaches us In the Bible, he talks about forgiveness He also talks about revenge Not for me to seek. God will take care of it Karma, I believe in it. It's very unfortunate that this other child decided to make a bad choice that's going to affect him for the rest of his life I have compassion for every human being This is not, I wan to make this very clear This is not a race issue. This is not a black and white issue. I don't want someone stepping up on a soap box trying to politicize this. I don't appreciate some of the remarks I've seen online that people say, there was this fight and there was they don't know. they weren't there I know the truth So unless you were there, unless you saw it, don't spread gossip My focus of my story is, of course on Austin. That is what's most important. But what would you say about the suspect and what's next and anything about him? don't we have nothing to say. I've never met the students who wr Right then it really was under thirty seconds this altercation as I've never met this kid in my entire life just And to be honest with you, we don't want to give him any recognition or any care because that's not 're not we have no desire to have anything to do with that, man. So. So let's get into the trial. everythingvery that happened through that, all of the witness testimony and what the final verdict was. And this trial happened about a year after the murder Now some of the testimony that came out was pretty jaw dropping. I do have to say Now for starters, before anyone even took the stand, there was already a lot of controversy surrounding the jury itself And the reason why is because the official sitting jury did not include any black jurors. The jury pool was originally narrowed down from around six hundred people to roughly two hundred and fifty possible jurors Then by the final decision, there were only three black jurors left that could have possibly been picked. However, they were ultimately ruled out Now the defense attorneys challenged this, and I understand why. They were accusing the prosecutors too of, quote, improperly striking the last three remaining black jurors from the panel However, the state pushed back on their claim, arguing that those jurors were removed because they were educators, not because of their race The judge also ultimately agreed with the prosecution, and they denied the defense's challenge Now, because race has been such a heavily discussed part of this case from the very beginning as we went through with the different press conferences, the statements and everything that what's kind of going on with some people, not everybody, but like you know, agenda wise, you remember, we talked about that earlier. the decision to not have any blackagers or I shouldn't say the decision, but the way that that shook out, it instantly and immediately became a huge talking point online A lot of people were divided with this. peopleeople agreed with it, some didn't. I understand why the defense pushed so hard, but ultimately, like I said, the judge ruled with the prosecution So then the trial begins and testimony started, and things got interesting really fast One of the prosecution's witnesses was a seventeen year old teammate of Austin's who testified that he witnessed the confrontation Fhand And this testimony was a pretty big deal because he told the jurors that Carmelo already had a folding knife out and in his hand before Austin allegedly shoved him Which that was a big revelation because that meant that if the jury believed that testimony, it completely contradicts the defense's argument that Carmelo only pulled that knife out in self defense after becoming fearful during that physical altercation or physical confrontation So throughout this, and like I said, there was a lot of testimony and a lot of witnesses, I believe there were twenty one witness statements in total Another student athlete, who was sixteen years old at the time, also testified about what happened in the moments leading up to the stabbing He told the jurors that he was sitting under the memorial tent with Austin and with some of their other teammates when Carmelo first walked up And I guess that when Carmelo walked up, he sat down next to him and randomly said Creezy weather, huh? Which the witness said that everybody was confused because they didn't know Carmelo. He also wasn't part of their team. He went to a different school. So they didn't really understand why he was there in the first place Now is that super damning? not necessarily? L yes, it could be weird that somebody's coming into your tent and like sitting down if they don't belong there. However, it's also raining. Everybody's under the tents because of the rain. So I could see where somebody's trying to like duck under a tent You're going to make small talk, right? That crazy weather, huh? Like because you're trying to shield yourself from the rain. I don't know. I just don't think that that was like a huge aha moment of he came into the tent in a threatening way However, according to that testimony, the group asked Carmelo to leave, and he refused The witness claimed that Carmelo became very aggressive and said, quote, Fuck y'all, I'm not going to leave. Y'all are a bunch of pussies. y'all aren't gonna do anything Touch me and see what happens And what really stood out to me is what the witness says, Austin said back to Carmelo Because according to his testimony, Austin's response wasn't, let's fight or like fuck you or anything like that. The witness says that Austin told him, I'm not going to fight you. One teenage witness, and I'm not sure if this is the exact same witness or another because like I said, there were twenty one. But another statement, I should say, that was testified to is that Austin told Carmelo, quote, You don't even have anything in that backpack. It's Frisco Now the reason I bring that up is because earlier in this episode, we talked about how people said Carmelo was reaching into his backpack and then that's when he grabbed the knife, although another witness testified he already had the knife out. But I think this goes to show that through this statement at least, that what they're trying to suggest and imply is that Austin didn't feel like this was a dangerous or life threatening situation, kindind of being like, you know, you don't have anything in that backpack. We're in Frisco for Christs sake, like something like that, you know Obviously, that is not the truth So then through the trial came the medical examiner's testimony. And this was probably one of the most emotional moments of the trial Because jurors were told that Austin's cause of death was, of course, that single stab wound to the chest. And the medical examiner also testified that the knife went through his breast bone. entered his chest cavity and then pierced the right side of his heart The wound through the heart wall was described as being approximately two inches long, meananing that was an incredible amount of force to pass through the breastbone, enter the chest cavity, and then pierce the heart and have a wound two inches long. L that is an incredible amount of force going in The medical examiner also didn't leave much room for interpretation, and they testified that the injury was simply not survivable Another thing that really stood out during the trial was that Carmelo chose not to testify in his own defense. Now this happens. we know that Usually, I'll say, defendants won't take the stand because they don't want to do anything that could hurt their case or potentially, you know, have hard questions coming their way to where their answers could be misconstrued or misinterpreted. Not testifying is absolutely his constitutional right, and some argue that it's more strategic not to testify. But of course, it's always something that people notice in high profile cases, and it certainly did not go unnoticed in this case. So he didn't testify. and Now here's where it got interesting because it wrapped up way sooner than I expected. and A lot quicker than I think anyone expected Because the prosecution rested its case on Saturday, june sixth Then, the following Monday, the defense started presenting their case. They started at nine AM that Monday morning. However, they rested their case just five and a half hours later, same day Then the next Tuesday, closing arguments happened This also was incredibly fast, so fast that It didn't even last all day long. It started with closing arguments, then it went to a verdict, then it went to the sentencing phase. It was a jam packed day. And what's really interesting is that even though the closing arguments didn't take very long and they went you pretty quickly, what was interesting throughout that portion of the trial is that it was announced that the jury was allowed to consider manslaughter in all of this, not murder And this was a major development because the judge instructed jurors that they could convict Carmelo of either murder or the lesser offense of manslaughter which of course, the defense had hoped that this revelation, this announcement, would give the jurors a middle ground option to come together on, that they wouldn't have to just do all or nothing, right However, as I said, closing arguments went quickly. it then went off to the jury and a verdict was returned And the jury only deliberated for three hours Ultimately, they found Carmelo guilty of murder Now one thing that many people who are watching this trial were focused on is Not so much what the jury did decide, but rather what they didn't decide. Because in that moment, I mean, the conversation then became, you know, they were given a path to manslaughter, but they chose murder instead. which is often interpreted as a sign that the jury rejected that entire core argument of self defense and that theory rather than, you know, merely finding that he overreacted in the moment and it was a crime of passion. They could have met on that middle ground But they chose murder instead Which under a guilty murder verdict, that means that he was going to face a punishment range of five to ninety nine years or life in prison. Whereas a manslaughter conviction would have carried a sentence of two to twenty years in prison Now right when this happened, his mom testified literally moments after he was found guilty, and she told the jury that she knows that her son is very sorry for what he did. So then came the sentencing phase, which it moved into almost immediately And within just a few hours, the sentencing came back And the jury sentenced Carmelo to thirty five years in prison He will be eligible for parole after half of that time is served, which is, you know, about seventeen and a half years. And I have seen a lot of people on social media say that They think that that is, I don't know if poetic is the right word, but because Austin was that same age, that that at least he will be incarcerated for amount of years that Austin was alive. And again, I'm not saying I believe one way or another that this sentencing, you know means it's poetic or not. don't again, I don't think that that's the right word, but I just want to point out that that is what people are suggesting However As you can imagine, there is a lot of division regarding this not only the guilty verdict, but the sentencing. There was fighting erupting outside of the courtroom. There were fights in the streets, people who are angry that Carmelo was found guilty. peoplee who are angry that he wasn't sentenced to life in prison There's just so much division. And in a statement, Austin's dad spoke out and he addressed Carmelo directly as well. and he said We were robbed. donon't look down. We were robbed of all these things I said from day one, this was never about race. Please don't politicize it But what you choose to do, both, it's right and wrong We're all humans, we all bleed the same color You're free to make choices all you want, but you're not free from those consequences You will face those consequences starting today. People think that grief is sadness, but it's not It's a rage. And at this point he slammed his hands down on the table. and he said, pure unfiltered rage You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society You don't belong in this community, he says directly to Carmelo. You're going to prison. You can't even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my fucking son in the heart. And like I said, guys, I mean, there is so much division out there. A lot of people too, I saw posting sentiment saying, you know, what if when Carmelo had gone under the tent if someone had just made small talk with him and said, hey, stay here and get warm a little longer, orr if Carmelo had come in and instead of being allegedly aggressive had said somethingone like, Hey guys, can I just duck out here from the rain for a couple minutes? Or if there was some sort of mutually kind exchange to wear didnid't erupt into such a fast moment of violence and a senseless moment of violence that has effectively destroyed two families completely. And look It's controversial. I know so many of you are going to disagree with one another. Please keep it respectful. It's an incredibly devastating case for everyone involved. So obviously a very devastating case and two young boys' lives who essentially are now completely lost. I mean, one, physically, yes, he Austin lost his life. another locked up And still a lot of division out there sill a lot of people feeling like this wasn't handled the right way or that this was self defense or that it wasn't and it should have been harsher or there's just so much conversation out there It's a very polarizing case. and I'm curious to know what you've heard about this case or where, even if you're hearing about this case for the first time, where you sit with this Please be kind to one another in the comments if you disagree At the end of the day, I think it's a tragedy No matter how you look at it, it's just senseless. It's two young men who had their whole lives ahead of them. and it just shows you how quickly violence can happen in the blink of an eye And I just can't help but think too about Austin's brother just lying there with him in those moments. and you heard his soul leaving his body feeling that himself because they're twins. It's so incredibly heartbreaking. It's devastating for everyone, everyone involved And it's just a reminder that senseless crime happens everywhere all the time. So please just be safe, protect yourselves and I don't know. I'm curious to know your thoughts. Now before you go, quick reminder, merch right now, anelast. com get it before it is completely gone. So thank you so much for tuning in another episode with me today. I will be back with you this Thursday with headline highlights where we are going through an all new case or cases, I should say, and case updates But let me know what you think about this one All right guys, thank you so much and until the next one She nice Don't kill people and just watch your back