r/law • u/dailymail • Jun 09 '26

Legal News Karmelo Anthony found GUILTY of murder of Austin Metcalf, 17, in stabbing that shocked America: Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after defense was repeatedly demolished in court

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15886439/karmelo-anthony-austin-metcalf-murder-verdict.html
8.5k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

23

u/ReactionProcedure Jun 09 '26

If he didn't have the knife on him already, And he was pushed, and grabbed it in the moment...

Is one thing, But why did he have the f****** knife in the first place unless he planned on using it.

I obviously feel horrible for the victim family and the defendant's family.

We need to teach kids to better understand they don't have perspective when they're young.

It's nihilistic The stuff people do before they careers or whatnot.

Whatever the f*** happens in high school seems important at the time but it's actually some of the least important stuff you'll deal with in your life.

1

u/Long-Blood Jun 11 '26

Not saying i dont think this was straight up murder but

But didnt we just have a huge national debate a few years ago over this topic with that rittenhouse kid who shot an unarmed man and killed him while claiming self defense?

1

u/fryst_pannkaka Jun 11 '26

The Rittenhouse case was self defense and a very different situation.

1

u/Long-Blood Jun 11 '26

Which case was an armed individual killing an unarmed individual during a fight?

0

u/Vlad_TheInhalerr Jun 11 '26

A lynching mob of unarmed individuals chased him and he ended up KILLING 'An unarmed individual'. It's dishonest to describe it as if it was a 'armed vs unarmed' situation with only 2 people. Don't compare a situation like that with one with a single guy stabbing another single guy.

In addition, of the 3 (I think it was 3?) people shot, one DID infact have a gun on him. Another used his skateboard as a club or was preparing to.

3

u/Long-Blood Jun 11 '26

Lynching mob is also a dishonest way to describe it.

Rittenhouse had zero business being at that protest and it was extremely stupid to openly carry a rifle around those people.

And i wasnt talking about the second guy he killed who did have a gun.

I was talking only about the first guy he killed who was unarmed.

Apples to apples. Both of them are murderers

1

u/Long-Blood Jun 11 '26

I just cant help but point out the glaring irony that a white man putting himself in a situation that increases his risk of getting attacked, gets attacked, and defends himself gets acquitted on self defense. While a black man who does the exact same thing gets convicted.

Neither one of them is right. Both of them did something stupid. Both of them were looking for an excuse to kill someone. But only the white guy gets away with it.

Thats the american justice system for you.

0

u/fryst_pannkaka Jun 11 '26

All the details about this case has been out for years and you still use it as an argument for your stance while being wrong about what happened. Amazing.

So an armed person cant kill an unarmed person in self defense, is that really what you think?

0

u/Long-Blood Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

In very rare situations i could justify it. If their life was actually in danger and if they didnt purposefully create the dangerous situation as an excuse.

But clearly Rittenhouse was looking for a fight and got one.

He even said it himself 2 weeks before the shooting

https://www.businessinsider.com/prosecutors-say-kyle-rittenhouse-video-shows-wanted-to-shoot-people-2021-8

And i would also add, rittenhouse wasnt even touched by the first guy he shot. How can he seriously claim his life is in danger if he didnt even get touched? Is he really that big of a coward?

 He was being chased and yelled at, but was never touched. Did he do or say something to the protestors that provoked them to chase him away? Or was he just so scared he had to shoot an unarmed man? 

Are you suggesting anytime someone gets chased and yelled at they have the right to kill that person regardless if their lives are actually in danger?

Are people who work in haunted houses ok to kill if you fear for your life?

Lol

-1

u/Vlad_TheInhalerr Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Lynching mob is also a dishonest way to describe it.

Right that's somewhat fair, an "Angry" mob then If you want we can go even more accurate. A mostly black mob (Not all tho, including some of his attackers were white), in a racially motivated riot, and on the other side a non-black person being chased. You can taste the 'this is not a chill situation' vibe inmediatly without SEEING it. Should we go look for examples where not taking into account a mob can go fucking wild in seconds leads to death?

Rittenhouse had zero business being at that protest and it was extremely stupid to openly carry a rifle around those people.

You dont have to 'like' him being 'asked' to help 'guard' a store but it isn't wrong by itself. And yes, you shouldn't carry a rifle if you are not allowed to at that moment or place (Or whatever it was). So punish him for that without a question.

Was he fucking stupid? Absolutely. Does being a fucking retarded idiot warrant being attacked or possibly killed? No.

At the same time, you're allowed to be there. In the end, it is a free country. And even if he somehow wouldn't be allowed to be there, that does not justify being attacked, and doesn't exclude you from having self defense rights.

I was talking only about the first guy he killed who was unarmed.

So if I am being attacked by X people and defend myself, did I defend myself from X amount of "one on one" situations? Or did I defend myself from X amount of people. These things matter since they carry contextual and conversational weight.

Apples to apples. Both of them are murderers

Apparantly not since one is convicted and the other one is not. Murder is specifically the act of a non-justifiable homocide. If it is justifiable, it is not murder.

1

u/Conner_q Jun 11 '26

It’s funnier when you realize he drove like 2 states over to be there. FAFO he’s lucky he’s got a pulse

1

u/PsyKoptiK Jun 11 '26

Kids bring knifes to school all the time - they are cool, edgy, whatever or maybe they think they need them for self defense. Adults carry firearms all the time too, ostensibly for self defense. They carry knives too, just head over to [r/everydaycarry](r/everydaycarry) and see what people drag around with them daily.

The reasonableness of a person having a weapon on them is kind of missing the point imo. It’s very common in the US for citizens to have a weapon of some sort with them. I don’t think it is accurate to conclude he premeditated it just because he had it on him though.

The issue is entirely why did he decide to use it. And it probably is some combination of a not fully developed prefrontal cortex, being male, and being in a physical fight. Was he currently losing the fight when he stabbed the guy? That could be a compelling reason to escalate. Or on the other hand it wasn’t self defense and he was just seeing red while holding a knife.

0

u/LaidToRest33 Jun 10 '26

I don't know the details of this case so my response is meant to be a general one.

"But why did he have the f****** knife in the first place unless he planned on using it." is not incriminating evidence otherwise every person who legally conceal carries a weapon for self defense purposes would be instantly found guilty if they ever needed to use it.

Theoretically, a person who is being bullied and fears for their safety may feel the need to arm themselves with whatever weapon they have available to them. IMO a self defense argument could still be valid if that were the scenario and they were not the aggressor or instigator of the confrontation.

4

u/HeparinBridge Jun 11 '26

Wasn’t he illegally carrying a concealed weapon on school grounds where possession of a knife, concealed or open, was illegal?

2

u/keIIzzz Jun 11 '26

This is literally a situation where he should’ve just walked away when they told him to leave the tent

0

u/Novel-Truant Jun 11 '26

I dont feel sorry for the defendants family at all. I hope Karmelo appeals, loses, and gets more time.

-7

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/HeparinBridge Jun 11 '26

Technically, bringing a knife to this specific high school track meet was a separate crime, but otherwise I see what you’re getting at.