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A Tragic Verdict: The Karmelo Anthony Case Explained · The Breakfast Club

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Some of the joys.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: I'm a homegirl that knows a little bit about everything
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: and everybody.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You know, if you don't lie about that, right, Lauren
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: can't even ht Hey, y'all was up.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: It's Laura l Rosa and this is another episode of
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: the Latest with Laura l Rosa. This is your Delli
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  Speaker 2: Dig on all things pop culture, entertainment, news, and all
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: of the conversations that shake the room.
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  Speaker 3: Baby.
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  Speaker 2: Now today we are going to skip the behind the
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  Speaker 2: scenes of the grind check in because there is breaking
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  Speaker 2: news literally that has been breaking for the last twenty
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  Speaker 2: four hours, in the case of Carmelo Anthony. Now Carmelo Anthony,
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  Speaker 2: you guys may be familiar with this case, not in
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  Speaker 2: relation to Carmelo Anthony, the basketball player. Carmelo Anthony, at
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  Speaker 2: the time of the story being first reported, was a
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  Speaker 2: seventeen year old track athlete from Texas who was charged
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  Speaker 2: with murder after a stabbing of another seventeen year old
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  Speaker 2: boy from a track team that was opposite a rival
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  Speaker 2: Carmelo Anthony track team. Now, this case, which has you know,
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  Speaker 2: went from being a local incident between two high school
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  Speaker 2: teens and has spread to a nationwide story that is
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  Speaker 2: now questioning race self defense is a widespread conversation. So
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  Speaker 2: here's the background information before we talk about the fact
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  Speaker 2: that Carmela Anthony, who is now nineteen years old, was
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  Speaker 2: sentenced to murder and is facing from anywhere from five
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  Speaker 2: years to ninety nine years behind bars. So for background,
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  Speaker 2: if you are not following this case, some details. So
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  Speaker 2: back in April of twenty twenty five, police responded to
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  Speaker 2: an incident around ten am at a local stadium. This
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  Speaker 2: stadium was housing a ton of different high school athletes
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  Speaker 2: who were running track. They were there for a University
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  Speaker 2: Interscholastic League district championship of some sort. So at this
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  Speaker 2: championship there were various high school tints that were set up.
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  Speaker 2: It's a rainy day, you know, the weather's not the best,
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  Speaker 2: uh So a bunch of different students are under attents
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  Speaker 2: for their different high schools. And here's what it is
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  Speaker 2: alleged to have happened. Because under the one of the
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  Speaker 2: tents is where the stabbing took place. So what is
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  Speaker 2: alleged to have happened is Carmelo Anthony went under a
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  Speaker 2: tent of an opposing high school.
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  Speaker 3: There was a kid at.
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  Speaker 2: The time named Austin Metcliffe from that other high school
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  Speaker 2: that approached Carmelo Anthony and told him along with several
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  Speaker 2: other kids. I've seen reports that say up to twenty
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  Speaker 2: kids were surrounding in this tent. I've seen various numbers though,
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  Speaker 2: but specifically and for sure, there was an exchange of
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  Speaker 2: words between Austin Metcliffe and Carmelo Anthony. The exchange of
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  Speaker 2: words was Austin allegedly telling Carmelo Anthony that he could
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  Speaker 2: not be under the tent that needed to move. Carmelo
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  Speaker 2: Anthony refused to move, its raining he's.
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  Speaker 3: Under the tent. He's not wanting to move.
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  Speaker 2: And there were students who testified throughout this trial that
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  Speaker 2: one student being under another student's tent, like you know,
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  Speaker 2: if you go to one high school and you go
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  Speaker 2: under the high school of another tent, that wasn't unheard of.
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  Speaker 2: There were some coaches who testified that even though that
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  Speaker 2: wasn't unheard of, it was common. You know, once a
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  Speaker 2: student is asked to leave and go back to their
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  Speaker 2: tent and go or just leave the tent because they're
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  Speaker 2: under a different school's tent, that it wouldn't have been
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  Speaker 2: like an issue. But this unfolded completely differently because Austin
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  Speaker 2: Metcliffe ended up dead at the end of this altercation.
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  Speaker 2: So Carmelo Anthony is actually the tent. He, according to
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  Speaker 2: what you know his team has presented throughout this case
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  Speaker 2: in court, felt like the way that he was approached
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  Speaker 2: was aggressive, that he was, you know, being pressed to
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  Speaker 2: leave this tent, and that he needed to defend himself. Now,
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  Speaker 2: there are students, a couple of students who did testify
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  Speaker 2: on the stand that they saw Austin Metcliffe, who was
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  Speaker 2: the student that first approached Krmela Anthony, shove Carmelo Anthony.
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  Speaker 3: Once the shove happened.
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  Speaker 2: There are other students who alleged that they heard Carmelo
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  Speaker 2: Anthony say, you know, touch me, or prior to the
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  Speaker 2: shove happening, that they heard Carmelo Anthony say touch me
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  Speaker 2: and see what happens. And there was a backpack of
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  Speaker 2: some sort that Carmelo Anthony had. Again these are high
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  Speaker 2: school students that Carmela Anthony had, and there was a
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  Speaker 2: knife in the backpack.
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  Speaker 3: So there are.
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  Speaker 2: Students who then say that Anthony Medcliffe shoved Carmelo Anthony
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  Speaker 2: and from there Anthony Medcliffe was stabbed by Carmelo Anthony. Now,
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  Speaker 2: Carmelo Anthony's team, his family, from his father, his mother,
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  Speaker 2: everyone has you know, tintos down from the very beginning
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  Speaker 2: bet that he was not the aggressor in this situation
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  Speaker 2: and also that.
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  Speaker 3: He was acting in self defense.
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  Speaker 2: Now in court, prosecutors on the other side argued that
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  Speaker 2: even if you know, this were self defense, a shove
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  Speaker 2: shouldn't have been responded to with the stabbing of a knife. Now,
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  Speaker 2: the knife that Carmelo Anthony had was not illegal in Texas.
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  Speaker 2: There are laws that are being pointed at that. You know,
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  Speaker 2: the knife that Karmela Anthony had in the size of
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  Speaker 2: it was legal, although they did have people testify from
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  Speaker 2: the school or from the various schools that were you know,
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  Speaker 2: present at this match and other matches like this, that
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  Speaker 2: there would have been no need for him to have it. However,
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  Speaker 2: Carmelo Anthony and his family are saying that he was
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  Speaker 2: in fear and that is what he responded to. Now
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  Speaker 2: in this case has also picked up a lot of attention.
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  Speaker 2: I mentioned race in the beginning. Carmelo Anthony is a
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  Speaker 2: black young man and Austin Matcliffe is a white young man. Now,
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  Speaker 2: other issue of race played out here when it came
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  Speaker 2: to the jury selection, because there were no black people
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  Speaker 2: on the jury, even though there were people of.
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  Speaker 3: Color on the jury.
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  Speaker 2: So there were eleven women and seven men on the jury,
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  Speaker 2: so eighteen jurors and nobody black. There were people of color,
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  Speaker 2: but everybody else was white. I mean, and you can
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  Speaker 2: just understand how that looks, how that feels. There's actually
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  Speaker 2: I mean, if you just take out how it looks,
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  Speaker 2: how it feels, and the fact that it just doesn't
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  Speaker 2: feel fair, and we'll get into what a jury of
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  Speaker 2: your peers actually means, because that's the burden that a
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  Speaker 2: court has to meet is by providing if it's a
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  Speaker 2: jury trial, a jury of your peers. So we'll talk
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  Speaker 2: about that definition in a second. But you know, you
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  Speaker 2: have this young black boy who is on trial for
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  Speaker 2: a murder of someone that he is saying happened in
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  Speaker 2: so defense. And the biggest call out here is the
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  Speaker 2: fact that there are no people that immediately look like
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  Speaker 2: him and understand the safety pressures and safety thinking that
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  Speaker 2: he is trained by as a young black boy growing
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  Speaker 2: up in this world in this society. So of course
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  Speaker 2: that raised major eyebrows and has been a conversation and
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  Speaker 2: the topic of this case. You know, since that jury
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  Speaker 2: selection happened, but we talked a bit about, you know,
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  Speaker 2: jury of your peers. Right now, a lot of people
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  Speaker 2: are like, you know, jury of your peers is supposed
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  Speaker 2: to be fair, and all these things I learned when
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: I was doing the the Diddy trial and also when
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  Speaker 2: I cover Tory Lanes and make the Stallion's trial, that
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  Speaker 2: a jury of your peers is not always does not
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  Speaker 2: always mean racially equal. So a jury of your peers
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  Speaker 2: means a criminal defendants constitutional right to an impartial jury
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  Speaker 2: selected from a fair cross section of the local community.
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  Speaker 2: It does not mean the jury will share your exact demographic, profession,
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  Speaker 2: or age. Rather, it guarantees that jewors are your fellow
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  Speaker 2: ordinary citizens. So the peer definition in the US legal system,
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  Speaker 2: peers refers to the general public residing within the same
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  Speaker 2: state or judicial district where the crime was allegedly committed.
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  Speaker 3: Now, I think.
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  Speaker 2: For a lot of us when we hear jury of
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  Speaker 2: our peers, especially if you're a black person, you're like, yo,
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  Speaker 2: where's the black people?
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  Speaker 3: Now?
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  Speaker 2: There were a few black people that were struck from
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  Speaker 2: the joy selection process before his jury was actually selected.
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  Speaker 2: But the court made it clear that because of course,
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  Speaker 2: his team pointed out the fact that yo, y'all are
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  Speaker 2: getting rid of all of the black Durwors like that
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  Speaker 2: is a problem here. The court said that they struck
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  Speaker 2: the Black Jewers because the Black Jewors were teachers or
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  Speaker 2: work with students, which because this was based on people
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  Speaker 2: who work with students, they weren't able to be on
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  Speaker 2: the jury. Now today, you know, the news in this
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  Speaker 2: case is really really sad because, I mean, now you
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  Speaker 2: have this young boy who, by the way, did not
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  Speaker 2: take the stand, Carmelo Anthony, never took the stand for himself.
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  Speaker 2: Carmelo Anthony, who's now nineteen. Right at the time of
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  Speaker 2: the incident, he was seventeen. There's a Texas law that
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  Speaker 2: allows seventeen year olds to be tried as adults. So
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  Speaker 2: he faces a sentence ranging from that five years to
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  Speaker 2: that ninety nine years if convicted.
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  Speaker 3: Now, okay, so he was found guilty.
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  Speaker 2: His mother gets up in front of the court and
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  Speaker 2: she's the only person that testifies at this point of
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  Speaker 2: the trial for him and what they call the sentence
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  Speaker 2: in part of the trial, and she from all reports
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  Speaker 2: of people who you know, have sources that were inside
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  Speaker 2: of the courthouse was pleading for her son's life. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I cannot imagine now here is a local news report,
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  Speaker 2: you know, from a local affiliate that had a person
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  Speaker 2: present in the courtroom when Carmelo Anthony's mother, Miss Kayla
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  Speaker 2: Hay stood up in tears shaking to plead for mercy
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  Speaker 2: for her son's life.
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  Speaker 3: Let's take a lisk.
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  Speaker 1: I just got some notes from our local reporter who
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  Speaker 1: is inside the courtroom. So when that guilty verdict was read,
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  Speaker 1: I'm told that Carmelo Anthony was crying, he was shaking.
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  Speaker 1: His defense attorney kept his arm around his shoulders the
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  Speaker 1: entire time. And also I'm told that Alston Metcalf's twin
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  Speaker 1: brother Hunter. This was the first time he was inside
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  Speaker 1: the courtroom when that guilty verdict was read. I'm told
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  Speaker 1: it was really emotional from both sides after that murder verdict.
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  Speaker 1: And as for what's next, Will now, it's the sentencing phase.
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  Speaker 1: He is charged with murder, so he could face up
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  Speaker 1: to life in prison, the same exact jur they're the
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  Speaker 1: ones who decide how long he remains behind bars, and
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  Speaker 1: that's what the sentencing phase in and that sentencing phase
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  Speaker 1: is that reporter inside the courtroom tells me that Carmelo
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  Speaker 1: Anthony's mother he has already she's already taken the sand.
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  Speaker 3: This is a.
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  Speaker 1: Direct quote she said, quote. He is my oldest, my
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  Speaker 1: first born, my baby. I loved him very much. I'm
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  Speaker 1: told that she had Misscara running down her face and
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  Speaker 1: asked the jury, quote, please have mercy on my son.
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  Speaker 1: And then the prosecutor sort of cross examined her and said,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it true you could still have a relationship with
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  Speaker 1: your son while he's behind bar. So this is sort
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  Speaker 1: of the next phase right now. The jury's going to
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  Speaker 1: decide how long he is behind barscore and they're going
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  Speaker 1: to call some character witnesses, including his mom that you
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: just heard from. And I'll step by the way, I
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  Speaker 1: mean outside here, outside the courtroom. We've been expecting this
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  Speaker 1: will but about one hundred Carmelo Anthony protesters it erupted
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  Speaker 1: out here. At least one person was detained after they
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  Speaker 1: read that guilty verdict. And as you can see, it
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: is all hands on deck when it comes to the
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  Speaker 1: sheriff's office. They prepared for this. There's been barriers out
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  Speaker 1: here and really.
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  Speaker 2: I'man and it's crazy one split second, the way that
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  Speaker 2: it is change both of these young men's life. Because
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  Speaker 2: one person's life was taken, one person is about to
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  Speaker 2: be in jail for you know, his life is going
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  Speaker 2: down too for prosecutors and pushing back. As Kramela Anthony's
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  Speaker 2: mom is breaking down in front of the court, they
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  Speaker 2: asked her if she had love for her son still
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  Speaker 2: and she says, you know, yes, regardless of what happened,
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  Speaker 2: you realize that, you realize he will still get to
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  Speaker 2: be a part of your life.
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  Speaker 3: And she replied yes she did.
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  Speaker 2: And again she was the only witness to take the
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  Speaker 2: stand for the defense in the sentencing thus far. So
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  Speaker 2: the actual sentencing is to come, and the way that
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  Speaker 2: the sentencing works is that they'll have people come and
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  Speaker 2: they'll read various things or make, you know, make various
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  Speaker 2: statements to try and plead for the court to take
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  Speaker 2: it easy in this sentencing. Now, the jury did have
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: the ability to take it a bit easy, and they
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  Speaker 2: decided not to the jury to deliberated for less than
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: three hours, which I mean less than three hours on
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  Speaker 2: a deliberation that means that they were very sold on
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  Speaker 2: what they heard by all of the witnesses and the
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: you know, the cross examinations that didn't convince them. Like,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know, man, I just I feel so bad
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  Speaker 2: for these young kids.
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  Speaker 3: Who are caught up in all of this.
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  Speaker 2: First of all, you don't want to see no black
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  Speaker 2: young men caught up in no system.
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  Speaker 3: You just don't.
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  Speaker 2: We all know, like before this even begin, you knew like, okay,
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  Speaker 2: white family, black young boy.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, right is right, wrong is wrong?
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  Speaker 2: And I understand that people are arguing that, but like
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  Speaker 2: when you add an all white or non black jewelry right,
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  Speaker 2: because they're going to point to people of color. M h,
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  Speaker 2: I mean what like it's this is this is tough
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  Speaker 2: because it's like you a loss of life is a
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  Speaker 2: loss of life at the end of the day as
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: well too. But you just you, you, you just never
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: want to see it on both sides. You never want
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  Speaker 2: to see a young black man caught up in the
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: system because of a split moment at all in general,
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  Speaker 2: having to explain self defense nothing. You never want to
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  Speaker 2: see it. And you also never want to see a
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  Speaker 2: kid's life taken before you know they've even gotten to
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  Speaker 2: live their life at all. So this is just a
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  Speaker 2: sad case all around. Yeah, and we'll just have to
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  Speaker 2: keep you guys updated. I do plan on speaking to
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: a civil rights activist from a organization that I'll get
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: more into in the following episode. So I'll be speaking
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: to a civil rights activist from an organization that has
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: been on the ground supporting this case, bringing light to
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: this case, giving the family a platform of cremelo anthony,
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  Speaker 2: and speaking about just a racial you know, disparities that
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: are I mean, it's it's on his face here right,
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  Speaker 2: like it's easy to see.
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  Speaker 3: So there are.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Allegation is that the DA in this case, the judge
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: and Austin Metcalffs Austin Metcalf's dad, all knew each other
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  Speaker 2: prior to this case. So people are also pointing and
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: calling that out, and you know, and look, there's a
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: criminal justice system here that can appeal and appeal and appeal.
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  Speaker 2: But it's tough for us. Let's be honest, it is.
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  Speaker 2: I just I feel for this family. I feel for
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  Speaker 2: the loss of life as well too. But I just
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  Speaker 2: remember what I was doing at the ages of seventeen
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  Speaker 2: and nineteen and how young I was, and just oh
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  Speaker 2: my God, God bless them, God bless them.
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  Speaker 3: So we'll be back with more.
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: Updates as this develops, and again I'll be bringing you
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: guys that interview with a very special source close.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: To the case.
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  Speaker 2: Who has been again just on the front line and
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: fighting to make sure that this case was heard all over,
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: a guy named Dominique Alexander from National Action Generational Network.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so we'll be back with that. Make sure you
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: guys say tuned. It's Lorla Rosa.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: I tell you guys all the time that you could
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: be anywhere with anybody talking about all of the things, but.
• 16:20
  Speaker 3: You guys choose to be right here with me.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: I don't know if you guys could tell with this
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: was a tough one for me to talk about. It's
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: just so it breaks my heart to see young black
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: people caught up in things like this. It breaks my
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: heart to see young people in their lives just here
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: one day going tomorrow. But we got to get down
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: to you know, we gotta get down to it. And
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: when we get down to it, we'll be investigating more
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: of some of the racial discrepancies in this case, because
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: the fact of the matter is is that's what happens
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: once we as black people are introduced to the systems.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: It's not a fair game at that point, so we'll
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: continue to have these discussions. Make sure you guys check
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: back here at the latest with Lorna Rosa.
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  Speaker 3: For that.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: I'm Longa Rosa. I appreciate you guys, my Lowriders, and
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: I'll catch you in my next episode.