The body camera footage, released for the first time following the verdict, captures the immediate aftermath of the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metaf at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, last April. In the video, Anthony, then 17, is seen handcuffed and speaking with officers, his demeanor shifting from calm to emotional within seconds. “I’m not alleged. I did it,” Anthony tells an officer, a statement that prosecutors used to argue he was fully aware of his actions moments after the attack. The footage, obtained by Law and Crime, shows Anthony spelling his name for police and stating his age and school, before his voice cracks as he appears to process the gravity of the situation.
The surveillance video, also made public for the first time, offers a distant, pixelated view of the confrontation under a tent belonging to Metaf’s team. The footage shows a brief shove between the two teenagers, followed by Anthony running up the bleachers and then back down, where he eventually encounters a coach. The video does not capture the stabbing itself, but prosecutors argued that the speed of the altercation—lasting only seconds—indicated Anthony had already opened the knife in his backpack. “You see the moment, you see some sort of scuffling, perhaps the shove inside of the tent,” said Cody Thomas of Court TV, who covered the trial. “But it’s not a lot when it comes to what people were hoping to see.”
The 911 calls released alongside the video paint a harrowing picture of the chaos that followed. In one call, a coach frantically reports, “My friend just got stabbed,” as bystanders attempt to save Metaf’s life. Another call captures the desperate efforts of an Army veteran performing chest compressions, with the caller saying, “He’s starting to go unconscious. He’s not breathing.” The medical examiner testified that Metaf died from a stab wound to the chest that was unsurvivable. The calls reveal a moment of false hope when coaches thought Metaf had started breathing again, but the veteran knew he was gone.
The case hinged on whether Anthony acted in self-defense or committed murder. Defense attorneys argued that Anthony was invited into the tent by a friend, Eddie, and that Metaf initiated the confrontation by shoving him. They presented photos of Anthony and Eddie playing Guitar Hero and making goofy faces, suggesting a closer relationship than Eddie testified to. “If this is your boy, why aren’t you standing up and saying, ‘Hey, everyone chill’?” Thomas asked. But prosecutors countered that Anthony never should have been under an opposing team’s tent and that he refused to leave, leading to the fatal altercation.
The knife used in the stabbing, a folding pocket knife with a blade capable of cutting seat belts, was shown to the jury. Officers testified that it had blood and bone fragments on it when recovered from the bleachers. “This is not some little boy scout knife,” Thomas noted. “It was a real knife.” The prosecution argued that Anthony had the knife open and ready in his backpack, allowing him to stab Metaf in a split second. The defense maintained that Anthony only used the knife after being shoved, but the jury rejected that claim.
Anthony’s emotional response on the body camera footage became a key point of contention. In the video, he can be heard crying moments after telling officers he stabbed Metaf, but then quickly composes himself to provide his name and details. “It was a stark dichotomy,” Thomas said. “He sounds like he’s emotional, but 15 seconds later, he’s spelling his name out calmly.” Prosecutors suggested the crying was performative, while the defense argued it showed genuine remorse. The jury ultimately sided with the state, convicting Anthony of murder.
The trial also featured testimony from Eddie, who initially denied being close friends with Anthony but was confronted with photos proving otherwise. “It was a credibility issue,” Thomas said. “The defense had the receipts.” However, the jury apparently did not find this discrepancy enough to doubt the prosecution’s case, as they focused on the actions leading to Metaf’s death. The verdict was delivered after weeks of testimony, with Anthony showing little emotion until the sentence was read.
Anthony has filed a notice of appeal, challenging his conviction. His attorneys are expected to argue that the evidence did not support a murder charge and that the jury was swayed by emotional testimony. The release of the video evidence, which was not allowed to be broadcast during the trial, has now given the public a clearer view of the events that led to the tragedy. “We’re seeing the evidence that everyone inside the courtroom was able to see,” said Chris Stewart, host of Law and Crime’s “On the Case.”
The case has sparked debate about self-defense laws in Texas and the use of knives by minors. Anthony, who was 17 at the time of the stabbing, was tried as an adult and sentenced to 35 years in prison. If he serves the full sentence, he will be in his mid-50s upon release. The Metaf family has expressed relief at the verdict, saying it brings some closure to the loss of their son, a promising high school athlete. “Austin died at that track,” Stewart said. “There was no way he could have survived.”
The surveillance video, though grainy, shows the moment that changed two families forever. It begins with teenagers milling about under the tent, then captures a sudden shove and Anthony’s immediate flight. “You see the force of the shove,” Thomas said. “But it’s not like an aggressive punch. It feels like a shove.” The defense argued that this shove justified Anthony’s response, but the jury disagreed, finding that the use of a deadly weapon was excessive. The video ends with Anthony running toward the track, where he is eventually detained by coaches and police.
The body camera footage from the arresting officer provides a chilling coda. Anthony, still in handcuffs, tells the officer, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.” The officer responds, “I see a little bit of blood on your hands there.” Anthony then asks, “What’s your name, man?” before spelling out his own. The video captures the moment Anthony seems to realize the severity of his actions, his voice breaking as he says, “I know how it go. I’m not alleged.” It is a moment that will be scrutinized for years to come as Anthony’s appeal moves forward.
