Jurors earlier heard from students who were at the Kuykendall Stadium that day, when Anthony warned at one point during the dispute with Metcalf, “Touch me and find out,” as he had his hand inside his backpack. suggesting he would pull something out.
A few students from Memorial testified that Anthony provoked the fight.
Wirskye told the jurors not to let the defense “turn a taunting, provoking threat into some kind of benign warning.
“Why didn’t he just walk away?” the prosecutor said.
But Howard claimed that the Memorial teammates, including Metcalf and his twin, Hunter, were crowded around a seated Anthony, who felt threatened.
“Do you turn your back?” Howard said. “Where you can’t defend yourself if their teammates jump in?”
Before the closings began Tuesday morning, Anthony’s family members formed a circle outside court and held hands as they prayed ahead of what could be the day he learns his fate.
Jurors began deliberating before noon. They must decide whether to convict Anthony on one count of first-degree murder.
They can also opt to convict on a lesser charge of manslaughter. But Wirske reminded them that they can only go for the less-serious count if they all decide to acquit on murder.
The prosecutor told the jury they should consider Anthony’s mindset rather than his motive.
“It’s mindset, mindset,” Wirskye said. “He took a knife to a track meet. He of course felt empowered that he was going to come out on top of any encounter.”
Anthony faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted of first-degree murder. If convicted of manslaughter, he’ll face between two to 20 years behind bars.