“The Supreme Court has said not only can you not seek the death penalty against someone who committed a crime when they’re 17, you can’t even get them life without parole,” the Collin County District Attorney said.
The teen suspect charged in the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet will not face the death penalty or life in prison without parole, according to Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.
Willis explained that a 2005 Supreme Court ruling (Roper v. Simmons) prohibits juveniles from receiving such punishments. "The Supreme Court has said not only can you not seek the death penalty against someone who committed a crime when they're 17, you can't even get them life without parole," Willis told WFAA. "That would not be something we could do even if we wanted to."
Karmelo Anthony, 17, has been accused of stabbing Metcalf to death during a track meet on April 2 at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. He faces first-degree murder charges and is being held in custody on a $1 million bail.
The tragedy has since garnered national attention, raising concerns among Anthony's supporters about a fair trial if the case was tried in the county. Willis said that decision is up to the judge. "Ultimately, that'll be a judge's decision to make at the time of trial, but, yes, this happened in Collin County. I want Collin County citizens to be able to decide this," the district attorney said.
A witness told Frisco police that Metcalf told Anthony to move out of the Memorial track team's tent. Anthony refused to leave and proceeded to grab his bag, open it, and reach inside it. He then said to Metcalf, "Touch me and see what happens," according to the report.
One witness said Metcalf touched Anthony, while another said he grabbed Anthony during the confrontation. A witness told police that Anthony then "reached into his bag and the male took a knife out of the bag and stabbed Austin," per an arrest report obtained by Fox News. A school resource officer responded to the scene and detained Anthony. The report noted that Anthony had blood on his finger.
According to the police report, the defendant confessed to the killing once officers arrived on the scene. "I was protecting myself. He put his hands on me," Anthony told police. "I'm not alleged, I did it," he added when authorities said that they "have the alleged suspect [in custody]." The suspect also reportedly asked officers if Metcalf was "going to be ok" and questioned if the stabbing could be considered "self-defense," per the report.
Anthony is scheduled to appear back in court on April 12 at 10 am.
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