The sentence was only five words.

But in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, those five words may become one of the hardest pieces of evidence for the defense to explain.

“Touch me and see what happens.”

According to police accounts and prior reporting, Anthony allegedly said the line during the confrontation that ended with 17-year-old Austin Metcalf stabbed in the chest at a Texas high school track meet in April 2025. Anthony has pleaded not guilty and is expected to argue that he acted in self-defense. Prosecutors are expected to argue that the words show escalation, warning, and readiness to use a weapon before the fatal blow.

The confrontation reportedly began under a team tent during a weather delay at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Metcalf, a Memorial High School student-athlete, allegedly told Anthony to leave the tent. The dispute escalated, and Anthony allegedly stabbed Metcalf once in the chest. Metcalf later died from his injuries.

That is why the phrase matters.

For Anthony’s lawyers, the line can be framed as a warning from a teenager who believed he was being threatened. For prosecutors, it may sound less like fear and more like a dare — a signal that Anthony was prepared to turn a school-tent argument into a deadly confrontation.

The second alleged line is even more damaging in the public narrative.

After he was taken into custody, Anthony reportedly made statements acknowledging the stabbing, including words to the effect of, “I’m not alleged. I did it,” while also asking whether what happened could be considered self-defense. Those statements may become central to how jurors weigh his state of mind: panic after a fight, or consciousness of what he had just done.

Public reports now say the jury has been seated in the case, following a contentious selection process and disputes over jury makeup. Opening statements are expected to bring the self-defense issue into sharper focus.

The phrase “video of the victim’s final moments” should be treated carefully. So far, there is no confirmed public report that a newly released courtroom video captured Metcalf’s final words. What has been reported is that witness accounts and police materials describe the confrontation, the alleged warning, the stabbing, and Anthony’s later statements to police.

Still, the emotional force of the case is undeniable.

Austin Metcalf went to a track meet and never came home. Anthony, now on trial for first-degree murder, claims he acted to protect himself. The jury will have to decide whether those five words were the start of a self-defense claim — or the warning sign of a fatal escalation.

For Metcalf’s family, the sentence is not just evidence.

It is the sound of the moment before everything changed.