(NewsNation) — Newly released body camera video and 911 audio from the day of the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf are providing another look at the moments after the incident.
The material consists of audio from bystanders at the time of the incident, as well as body camera video of Karmelo Anthony, who was recently convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Metcalf, after the stabbing.
Jesse Weber, a legal analyst and host of “Jesse Weber Live” on NewsNation, and Randy Zelin, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, joined Katie Pavlich on “Katie Pavlich Tonight” to share their analysis of the new video.
“I don’t look at this and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t understand how Anthony was convicted,’” Weber said. “But it definitely humanizes this. It puts a face on this.”
“At the risk of sounding like a Monday morning quarterback … what the hell were you thinking when you chose to take this case to trial?” Zelin said. “This case should have never gone to trial.”
Zelin pointed to Anthony’s proclamation that he was the killer, which became a focal issue in the trial and eventually led to a sentence of 35 years in prison.
Approximately three hours of deliberations followed the seven-day trial. Jurors rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim. Anthony had faced a potential sentence of between five and 99 years in prison. He did not testify in his own defense.
Weber noted that the situation appeared avoidable, a point with which Zelin agreed.
“Putting your hands on me doesn’t give me the right to stab you,” Zelin said. “That is meeting non-deadly force with deadly force.”
“This is incredibly tragic,” Weber said. “That’s what stands out the most.”
The Anthony family is expected to hire an attorney soon to begin the appeals process for Karmelo Anthony.
