SERIALously - 269: The Controversial Case That’s EXPLODING: What Happened to Austin Metcalf

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey everybody, it's me, Annie. We sold out of the merch collection last week so fast, but we did end up extending to pre-sale, which all pre-sale items will ship in two weeks. And it was supposed to end yesterday, but we decided to extend it until 12 p.m. Pacific Time today. So if there was anything that you had your eye on and it sold out, don't worry, you can do it right now until 12 o'clock and you can order the presale. It'll ship in two weeks There are a couple sizes left to in stock of a few items, but once it's gone, it's gone once presale closes We're not coming back with merch until the fall So I just wanted to let you guys know and again you can get all of that at Annie Elise

Starting point is 00:00:39 Com which I will say the fan fave was definitely the adventure t-shirt. If you know, you know, but if you don't know, you should go look now. Definitely the fan fave. Also the two super soft loungewear sets we have that are embroidered. Those went really quickly too. We have a couple left. So go check it out, annieleese.com, and let's get into today's episode. On Wednesday morning, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, 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 don't really have words. I've tried to figure out what I was going to say, but he's just going to be so missed. I feel sorry for that individual because he's now made a mistake that's gonna cost him the rest of his life.

Starting point is 00:01:27 My son watched his brother die in his arms. Hey, true crime besties, welcome back to an all new episode of Serialistly. I am your host, Annie Elise, and I am here to break down another case with you today. And today's case is one that is happening right now. It's unfolding in real time. It is extremely controversial, and there are a lot of mixed opinions out there. I also just want to warn you that while this is still breaking and new information is being released, please as a reminder always do your own research. Always form your own opinions. There happens to be a lot of misinformation out there

Starting point is 00:02:30 right now regarding this case too, so that's part of the reason I wanted to jump on here so quickly and do this episode because I want to just not set the record straight but really lay out the facts of this case that are actual true facts so then you can you know determine what you believe this case is all about what you think justice means in this case and go from there so again as always do your own research and come to your own conclusions and opinions so today we will be talking about the case of Austin Metcalf. The case begins on April 2nd, 2025, around 10am. Two high school boys, 17 years old Austin Metcalf and Carmelo Anthony, were at a track

Starting point is 00:03:13 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 School, 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

Starting point is 00:03:43 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

Starting point is 00:04:11 or if he had a reason to be there, but 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

Starting point is 00:04:36 of like a threat, you know? Putting his hand in being like, oh yeah, I need to. Kind 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 17 year old kids were starting to get angry at each other and tensions were starting to build.

Starting point is 00:05:12 Then Austin apparently grabbed Carmelo 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 gonna get you out if you're not gonna leave, something like that. But then Carmelo took his hand out of the bag and he showed Austin what he had been holding onto.

Starting point is 00:05:29 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. Or 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.

Starting point is 00:05:45 And there have been a lot of rumors going around online saying that it actually wasn't even a knife, but it was a cleat sharpener, rather. Which, to be honest, I don't know if that's true or if that's just one more piece of misinformation like I mentioned earlier, but it is important to note that in the arrest reports, the object was classified as a knife. So I would imagine if it was a cleat sharpener, they probably would have specified that, but maybe not. I don't know. What do I know? But I wanted to bring it up just in case there was any truth to that gossip.

Starting point is 00:06:15 You know, I haven't heard anything about the Frisco Police Department confirming that it actually was a cleat sharpener. I've only seen this theory in different TikTok videos out there and in video comments that are out there. And again, the police report says that it's a knife, but wanted to at least, you know, mention it here. So the point is that 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

Starting point is 00:06:50 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 17 year old teenage kid on the ground with this knife type instrument sticking out of his chest, just bleeding out by the second. I mean, talk about traumatic for everybody involved. Adults, kids, anybody who was 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

Starting point is 00:07:28 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. Now Hunter hasn't spoken much publicly about how he felt or what he was thinking in this situation, understandably so, because it sounds like an incredibly personal and difficult Now Hunter hasn't spoken much publicly about how he felt or what he was thinking in this situation. Understandably so, because it sounds like an incredibly personal and difficult decision to be in. But this is what we have gathered from witness testimony. So reportedly Hunter laid there with Austin just holding his twin brother in his arms, waiting for help,

Starting point is 00:07:59 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 911 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 his twin brother passed away. It's just heartbreaking. At just 17 years old. What happened to you?

Starting point is 00:08:34 I don't know. I got a phone call from Hunter. He was screaming that Austin had been stabbed. I was at work and so I drove. I work in Grapevine, so I drove up to the hospital straight away. I actually beat the ambulance there. 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.

Starting point is 00:09:02 So 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 just 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

Starting point is 00:09:33 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

Starting point is 00:10:11 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. Because 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

Starting point is 00:10:44 trying to hide, not trying to make a run for it, 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 aisle way, so 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 gonna 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.

Starting point is 00:11:26 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. The weather is officially breaking over here in California and it's warming up, so I feel like it's finally spring kicking off, which means fresh air, sunshine, good food. That's what spring's all about, right? And HelloFresh makes it easier to fit quick home-cooked meals into your everyday schedule. They curate these delicious recipes like pasta primavera, chicken dijon, pecan crusted trout, and they also have over 100 seasonal snacks,

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Starting point is 00:14:54 and claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's simplysafe.com slash Annie. There's no safe like simply safe. The very first police officer who arrived on the scene was actually the first person who dealt with Carmelo directly. 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,

Starting point is 00:15:30 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.

Starting point is 00:16:12 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

Starting point is 00:16:48 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 Austin. What do you want him to know about your boy? Ah, he was the most amazing kid. Oh, so smart. He had college football. Guys looking at him to play in college, his goal was to play in college. He just wanted to 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 a 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 brothers lost his best friend. They're twins right? Yeah identical twins yeah. They've been like... They are the best of

Starting point is 00:17:40 friends like just I'm so worried about my son because he's gonna have to face this world alone now because he had a brother that was with him the whole time and now he's 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 and the wrong, it didn't matter. he was in the right and the wrong, it didn't matter. Austin was only born about four minutes before Hunter,

Starting point is 00:18:09 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,

Starting point is 00:18:29 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 of somebody like between two human beings. I mean, we did everything together, cleaning the dishes together, do the artwork together, sports. You name anything in the world, it's always us two

Starting point is 00:18:56 and one thing, so you're always just basically one person. You guys just a few minutes apart? Four minutes. Austin was first by four minutes. He got stuck in me. So he's technically your bigger brother. Yes ma'am. He does a lot of big brother stuff around. He's always on my back. Even 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 by your side no matter what. Just pass away like that. Your mom told me that you were there.

Starting point is 00:19:25 Yes ma'am. If you don't mind what happened. There was this kid, before I knew his name now, this kid was sitting under our tent at track. We asked him to move. He started getting aggressive and talking reckless. And my brother stepped in and said, you need to move. He's like, make me move.

Starting point is 00:19:47 I also grabbed his backpack. This kid, I tried to whip around as fast as I could, but I didn't see the stab. But then I looked at my brother, and I'm not going to talk about the rest. That's just what I saw. I mean, I tried to help them. It was just senseless.

Starting point is 00:20:08 It was it was really senseless really I don't know why a person would do that to someone just over that little argument it's just it's just crazy in this world nowadays how people just up and do that like that man has a family that man has people that care about them all the time and he he did everything for our family He was a strong and strong strong kid Austin obviously is the son and also hunter you're talking about here Walk me through who Austin was to you. I know that you said so much about him. I think the last 24 hours here Everyone else has said a lot about him too about how great of a kid he was in your eyes though Just as a father who was he to you?

Starting point is 00:20:48 My boys are the biggest blessing in my life God provided them to me God's gonna get me through this. I had a dream last night And Austin came to me and said I'm okay dream last night and Austin came to me and said I'm okay. It gives me peace. Doesn't mean I don't hurt but it gives me great peace. So one of the things my son Hunter, his ability to stay strong is a character to his brother. His brother, they had each other's back. They were tight.

Starting point is 00:21:34 I've never seen a bond like that. Being identical twins, technically Austin was his big brother. Those boys were my everything. I had cancer almost 10 years ago. I wasn't supposed to live, but that was my why, to fight. And without those boys, I probably would have succumbed and gave in, but they were in my heart.

Starting point is 00:21:57 And I fought hard because I wanted to be their father. I wanted to be there for them throughout the years they grew 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

Starting point is 00:22:16 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. He would step on that field 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 by his 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 jujitsu 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

Starting point is 00:23:02 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 world's a little shattered, but I still have Hunter and I always have Austin. Now one of the biggest questions in this case, and has people so riled up and we're going to get to more of the division of why in a moment here.

Starting point is 00:23:51 But one of the biggest questions is how does a 17 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 17-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 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.

Starting point is 00:24:20 Obviously, this is not about me. I have a 17-year-old son. I live 20 miles south of you. My son's in Frisco every night playing soccer, and we have a lot of friends of friends who knew Austin. So the circles got tight, and this hit really close to home. And I'm just so sorry for you. Can you explain us at all today how you feel?

Starting point is 00:24:41 It's just got to be so... The word I keep coming back to, to Megan is incomprehensible. How could this happen at a track meet? It is. 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 had, um, if I could say anything to the nation, I would say, um, to make sure that you just hug your baby's tight and you don't know when the last time you get to do it. Hunter, I know you were there. Thank you, Megan.

Starting point is 00:25:32 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, if there would maybe make 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.

Starting point is 00:26:06 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 wanna say through all of the research

Starting point is 00:26:29 is that these rumors were complete bullshit. A spokesperson for Carmelo's family even came forward to say that Austin had never bullied Carmelo, that there was absolutely no truth to any of these rumors or any of the gossip. The spokesperson also said, quote, the disinformation that is going online is hurting this case and it has to stop.

Starting point is 00:26:49 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 17 year old kid and an excellent student. He is the captain of his track team. He is the captain of his football team.

Starting point is 00:27:30 And prior to this, what was on his mind was what college he was gonna go to. This is a tragedy all the way around for both families. 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

Starting point is 00:28:00 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 kibosh on all of those rumors and they didn't, you know, glom 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.

Starting point is 00:28:31 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 the insanity in this case, certainly not, but he has publicly shared some details about the fight and about the

Starting point is 00:29:04 stabbing so that hopefully it provides a little bit more context and it makes all 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 don't belong here. You don't go to Memorial. He had a centennial track suit 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, make 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,

Starting point is 00:29:45 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

Starting point is 00:30:24 enough that 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 3.7. He was the captain of the football and the track team. His teammates and his peers all respected him, loved him.

Starting point is 00:30:54 He even worked two jobs in what little free time he had. He worked at Footlocker 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. Carmella 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, 17 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, but Carmelo had

Starting point is 00:31:32 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. All right guys, I've talked with you about Helix before. Honestly, it's because I love it so, so much.

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Starting point is 00:32:59 But Helix nailed it like full on, just flawless, flawless. Because you go online, you take a little quiz, you enter in what your sleeping habits are, if you're a side sleeper, a back sleeper, and then it tells you what the recommended mattress is. So I have the Sunset Luxe and like I said it is the best. My mom, I think I've told you this, came over to watch the kids one weekend, loved my bed so much that I had now bought her a Helix and sent it to her house and she's like obsessed. Anybody, whoever is on my bed too, which I mean it bought her a Helix and sent it to her house and she's like obsessed.

Starting point is 00:33:25 Anybody, whoever is on my bed too, which I mean, it's not a ton of people, but it's like my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, anytime people come over, even if they're just like sitting on my bed, they're like, why is this so comfortable? And it is Helix. So you gotta check them out.

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Starting point is 00:34:13 with any Lux or Elite mattress order. Helixsleep.com slash serialistly. Today's episode is sponsored by Haya. And I've talked with you about this before, but especially if you're a parent, you understand that typical children's vitamins are basically candy in disguise. I mean, they're filled with two teaspoons of sugar,

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Starting point is 00:36:45 Like I mentioned in the intro, there has been a lot of misinformation and a lot of rumors related to this case. And there have also been a lot of people trying to sort of latch on to 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.

Starting point is 00:37:26 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, or 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 US Senate, organized a protest titled Protect White Americans. It's also worth mentioning that Jake was one of the pardoned January 6th protesters,

Starting point is 00:38:02 so if his name sounds at all familiar be why. But anyway, jake o not long after Carmelo's b $1 million to $250,000. A he was able to pay his ba to wait for his trial at fair. Um, you know, bond is not supposed to be an instrument of oppression.

Starting point is 00:38:25 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 spurred Jake

Starting point is 00:38:39 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.

Starting point is 00:38:59 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

Starting point is 00:39:32 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 4th

Starting point is 00:40:05 of 2025, 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 Carmelo to be out on bail at this point.

Starting point is 00:40:43 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 Carmelo's side of the argument and his parents and him saying,

Starting point is 00:41:06 he's never had a bad history, he's a good student, good friend, he was provoked, this was self-defense, we'll put the 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. Well, kind of. I mean, obviously it's not like he's okay with the fact that Carmelo stabbed his son. Obviously not.

Starting point is 00:41:40 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 US 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. Take it off of your materials. I don't want Austin to be a part of anything that you're stirring up.

Starting point is 00:42:05 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.

Starting point is 00:42:21 Now 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,

Starting point is 00:42:40 the protest happened on April 19th. The organizer spoke with Jeff directly, and Jeff was not having it. Yes sir, what can I do for you? Jeff, first of all, my entire heart rests in your hands. I would be in my position, not even if somebody even knew your son, but somebody that it shares the same understanding. I grew up as a 17 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

Starting point is 00:43:06 around me all the time. And I don't understand as I was 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

Starting point is 00:43:21 and continue the suppression. Why will you not stand with me and with the rest of the people who are not calling for racial divide, we're not calling for hatred, we're saying 350,000 attacks on white people by black people a year in this country is wrong. Why can't you stand that and say with that?

Starting point is 00:43:38 Maybe you can. Would you be willing to stand by me in a press conference or in a 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. Are you done? Yes I am sir. Okay my turn to speak. You are part of the problem my friend. You're trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap.

Starting point is 00:44:07 I do not condone anything you do. Do not have any... That's called white guilt. No, let it go. My son, let me finish. I give you your time. You take my son's face off your website. I don't... I am not associated with you.

Starting point is 00:44:22 I don't... You're creating more Austin Metcalfes with your weakness, sir. I am not supposed to promote you. I am not supposed to promote you. You are creating more Austin Medcaps with your weakness. 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 any 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.

Starting point is 00:44:51 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 2011 for sexual assault. However, I want to be clear, we researched it, we looked into it, and I have not been able to verify this claim. The County Sheriff's Office even told us that there were no arrest records or a police incident report for

Starting point is 00:45:17 any sort of arrest like that related to Jeff. So again, could this just be one more piece of wild misinformation that's been going around? It 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 Sheriff's Office, nothing that they have on record either. Now while we're on the topic of misinformation and rumors, it's also important to note that as of right now, the Medical Examiner's Office has not released any information to the public or to the media.

Starting point is 00:45:45 It's not even clear if they ever will release their findings, or if they're just going to keep them private out of respect for everybody involved. Yet, in spite of that, there have been images of what looks to be a medical examiner's report floating all around on social media. However, these images are fake, which has been confirmed by the Frisco Police Department. And that should also just be another illustration of how polarizing and crazy this case is becoming. People are doctoring images, putting out rumors, false narratives. So many people are getting involved in this case.

Starting point is 00:46:19 And while I hope that the root cause of that is because they want justice for Austin and they want answers, it seems to me more like this is just turning into a battle of Austin versus Carmelo or whatever side of that you're on versus each other. And 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 gotta 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,

Starting point is 00:47:05 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 people are saying out there. Another rumor that is going around. Now the police chief in Frisco, Texas is calling for calm and calling for people to stop spreading misinformation about the case.

Starting point is 00:47:23 His call to stop the about the case. His call began after someone poste claiming that the victim and that the stabbing was of death. The police chief is true and posted. Beware to social media to deliber hate, fear, and division.

Starting point is 00:47:45 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 a very recent 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.

Starting point is 00:48:10 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, that 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

Starting point is 00:48:45 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 North 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 worked hard every single day to provide for us, to make sure we are 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, nurtured, and supported every step of the way.

Starting point is 00:49:47 In wake of this tragic incident, our family has been under attack. Whatever you think what happened between Carmelo and the Metcalf 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 lies and their amplification put my family in danger, as well as everyone in our community, everyone involved in investigation from the police, the attorneys, and the court staff. Our address and my husband's previous employer's address has been put on all social media platforms.

Starting point is 00:50:38 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 13 year old daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bedroom because she's fearful of what might happen to her. And let me be clear, 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 dime from the GiveSendGo fundraiser. And the co-founder has stated that clearly. In reality, we were just notified yesterday that we could begin to withdraw funds.

Starting point is 00:51:39 And it still takes several days to receive those funds once a request is made. I don't know why we have been targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial. Our son deserves the same rights under the law that everyone is afforded 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, we will not speak publicly about specific details of what happened under the tent on that rainy and awful day.

Starting point is 00:52:29 There is an active investigation that everyone involved wants to be full and fair. We believe in legal process, and that is where the truth will come out. To the family who experienced the loss, my heart truly goes out to the family who experienced the loss. My heart truly goes out to you. To those who have supported my family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Starting point is 00:52:58 We ask for your continued support, patience and prayers as we navigate this difficult 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's fearful for her other three children's safety, the death threats, the rumors, and she's just begging everybody to let Carmelo have a fair trial like everybody else is entitled to and just wait for that day. It is just becoming so toxic.

Starting point is 00:53:38 Today's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Now we've talked about this before, but mental health awareness is growing. Yet, there's still progress to be made. 26% of Americans who participated in a recent study say that they have avoided seeking mental health support due to fear of judgment. Which is horrible, right? Because everybody should not only have access to it, but everybody should feel confident getting the help that they need. When people hesitate to get help, it doesn't just affect them. It impacts families, workplaces, entire communities. So I think it's so important. Therapy is something that I have done for years personally,

Starting point is 00:54:11 on, off whenever I feel like I need it, sometimes more regularly and consistent than others, but it really is such a great tool to use. For one, it helps just get a different perspective on things that you're facing or things that you're struggling with. It also will provide good coping skills, different mechanisms for you if you need to set boundaries or empower yourself. It just can be really helpful for whatever unique situation that you're in. And BetterHelp has over 10 years of experience matching people with the right therapist. They have a huge diverse network of more than 30,000 licensed therapists and a wide range of

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Starting point is 00:55:02 And I also want to thank you for 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 GoFundMe, but not that. This platform is called Give Send Go. Sorta like a Kickstarter, sorta like a GoFundMe, but basically where you crowd-source 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.

Starting point is 00:55:40 And they very quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Last time I checked, it was up over $450,000, and it's probably even higher at this point by the time this episode is released. But with that comes more issues, like the saying goes, no 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 $900,000 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,

Starting point is 00:56:25 claiming that the family bought a brand new Cadillac Escalade. And Cadillac Escalades have the sticker price of something like $150,000 right now. Supposedly they parked it right in front of their driveway for like the whole world to see, just 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 4th. Now

Starting point is 00:56:57 I'm not sure if the he that this neighbor is referring to is Carmelo or maybe Carmelo's dad Andrew. I can't imagine that there would be any reason for Carmelo to get a new car since he's on house arrest and can't really go anywhere. I mean, that's besides the point, but just thinking logistically. But either way, they are claiming that it's one of the family members' 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 4th is so important is because in Texas, paper tags or temporary license plates are only good for 60 days. So if they had temporary plates that expired on June 4th, that would mean that they bought

Starting point is 00:57:35 the car on April 4th, which was just two days after the stabbing took place. And look, I'm going to play devil's advocate 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 $1 million. Then it got reduced to $250,000. 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

Starting point is 00:58:10 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, that 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 doxxed.

Starting point is 00:58:45 What doxxing 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 doxxed. So because of that, random strangers learned where they lived. So that 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.

Starting point is 00:59:21 This family needs to be able to survive. I'll also note that as of April 16th, the family has not withdrawn any money from their fundraiser. That's been confirmed by the co-founder of the company too, so I'd say it's pretty credible. And if they haven't touched the money, it's safe to say that they're not using it to buy flashy cars or rental houses, unless of course they already were purchased previously with a previous withdrawal. 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

Starting point is 00:59:55 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. I'll also note that Andrew works as a finance manager at a car dealership. However, he's currently on a leave of absence for reasons I think that are pretty clear, and I don't know if Carmelo's mother works, so it's hard to say what their true financial situation is. 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

Starting point is 01:00:27 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.

Starting point is 01:00:45 You had mentioned a few times that you had forgiven the suspect for what he did. That's correct. I do. But we just informed you about these documents. That doesn't change anything. This has to do with me and God. God teaches us, in the Bible, he talks about forgiveness.

Starting point is 01:01:03 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.

Starting point is 01:01:21 This is not, I want 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 soapbox 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, 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? Anything about him. We have nothing to say.

Starting point is 01:01:57 I've never met this kid until right then. It really was under 30 seconds this altercation. I've never met this kid in my entire life. And it's just and to be honest with you, we don't want to give him any recognition or any care, because that's not. We're not. We have no desire to have anything to do with that man, so now,

Starting point is 01:02:16 because this is all still so fresh, it's going to be a very long time before this case goes to trial. But when that happens, I'm sure a lot more information will come out. Again, assuming that Carmelo fights the charges and pleads not guilty and says that this was all self-defense.

Starting point is 01:02:31 And trials are usually where you will find out about people's motives, their backgrounds, any history that's not documented, all the things. Now, since Carmelo is so young, even when this does go to trial, he will not be facing the death penalty or life in prison without parole because neither one of those sentences can apply to a minor. Instead, if he's

Starting point is 01:02:50 convicted of first degree murder, the very worst sentence that he will face is life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. And of course, the sentence could be even lighter than that or he could be found not guilty altogether. I mean, only time will tell. But at the end of the day, if there's one thing you take away from this episode, it's to not get involved in all the hate and all of the misinformation that's going around online. Austin's family deserves to mourn, to grieve, to move forward with their healing process, and to do that in peace. They shouldn't have to worry about being bullied or harassed online. And Carmelo's family should also be allowed to mourn because even though Carmelo is, yes, alive, their lives have changed and shifted

Starting point is 01:03:30 in a way that will be changed forever. So even if you think Carmelo was totally guilty, that he was reckless, that he was just angry and he had a short fuse and he deserves to go down, it doesn't mean that his mother or his father deserve to be punished and have their other children's lives threatened for Carmelo's actions. But it would be impossible to ignore that there is a very big racial divide in this case. A lot of people speculating too

Starting point is 01:03:57 that the reason Carmelo's family is getting so much hate has to do with the fact that they're not white. Is that true? I don't know. Or are they receiving hate because their 17-year-old son killed another 17-year-old boy? You come to your own conclusions and form your own opinions. I just feel like in order to actually report

Starting point is 01:04:16 on this case accurately, it would be irresponsible if I did not mention the political aspect of it and the race aspect of it, because that is such a large topic of this case. At the end of the day though, we should all focus on keeping things fair, keeping things legal, and making sure that justice is served for everybody

Starting point is 01:04:36 who has been involved in this case. And let's hope that we get some answers as to what truly caused this senseless death of this 17-year-old kid who had his whole life ahead of him. Was it self-defense or was this clear-cut murder? Let me know what you guys think, but please keep it respectful. I will update you as soon as we have more updates

Starting point is 01:04:56 in this case, but like I said, it's probably gonna be a slow drip of information as it is still breaking in real time, but curious to know your thoughts. Thank you guys again for tuning into another episode with me. I will be back on the mic with you first thing Thursday with an all new episode. Until then, watch your back, stay safe, be nice and don't kill people, and let's try to just treat others with kindness. Alright, thanks guys.

Starting point is 01:05:21 Bye. you you

SERIALously - 269: The Controversial Case That’s EXPLODING: What Happened to Austin Metcalf

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