•Showed up where he wasn't supposed to be. Suspended from school with a prior knife incident, banned from events, yet he attended the track meet anyway and brought another knife knowing the knife wasn't allowed.
•Invaded the wrong team's space. Sat uninvited under Memorial Highs tent during rain delay. Knew the culture/rules but refused to leave after being told 15 times!
•Armed himself and taunted first. Hand already in backpack reaching for the knife before any physical contact. Warned Austin "touch me and see what happens" or "touch me and find out."
•Escalated to deadly force over nothing. After a moderate shoulder shove/nudge (no beating, no real harm, unarmed victim), he pulled the knife and stabbed Austin once straight to the heart. Video evidence and eyewitnesses prove this.
•Fled like he knew he was guilty. Walked away calmly at first, then ran and threw the bloody knife away in the bleachers to hide evidence. Not holding onto it like someone who actually feared for their life would.
•Doubted his own "self-defense" even in the moment. Admitted to cops "I'm not alleged, I did it" then asked officers if what he did could be considered self-defense, showing he wasn't even sure (or knew it wasn't justified).
•Consistent eyewitnesses seal it. Multiple teens testified: Karmelo was the aggressor/provoker, Austin didn't want a fight, and "it did not look like self-defense.".
Just go throw out the option of self defense and go straight to verdict. Ain't no coming back from this.