A Collin County, Texas, jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder on Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco in April 2025. The jury rejected Anthony’s claim that he acted in self-defense.
The jury returned the verdict after roughly three hours of deliberation. Reports indicate the jurors did not opt for a lesser manslaughter conviction.
The New York Post provided a brief recap of the events that led to Metcalf’s death:
The violent confrontation erupted in the bleachers of Kuykendall Stadium when Anthony refused to leave the tent reserved for the Memorial High School track team during a rain delay.Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the tent multiple times, and Metcalf began to argue with him.The argument escalated further when Anthony said to Metcalf “touch me and see what happens,” while keeping his hand hidden in his backpack, implying that he had a weapon, according to FOX4.Metcalf pushed him and Anthony fatally stabbed him in the chest with a knife.Witnesses for the state testified that Anthony acted as the aggressor.Anthony was caught on video stating, “I’m not alleged, I did it.”“He put his hands on me.”
According to Fox News 4, prosecutors argued that Anthony stabbed Metcalf during a dispute under a team tent at the track meet and that the killing was an unjustified attack. The defense contended that Anthony feared for his safety and acted in self-defense after a physical confrontation.
Anthony, now 19, was tried as an adult. He faces a punishment range of 5 to 99 years, or life in prison, under Texas law. Because he was a juvenile at the time of the offense, neither the death penalty nor life without parole apply.
Sentencing is currently underway in the case. The Post reported that once the verdict had been read, the trial moved directly into the punishment phase, where jurors heard testimony from Anthony’s mother and other witnesses before deciding the sentence.
Karmelo Anthony’s sobbing mother, Kala Hayes, begged a Texas jury for mercy Tuesday just moments after her 19-year-old son was convicted of murdering fellow teen Austin Metcalf.“Please have mercy on my son,” Hayes said during the highly emotional sentencing phase.“He’s my oldest,” Hayes testified, according to NBC DFW. “He’ll always be my baby. I love him very much.”“I know my son, and he’s very sorry for what he did,” she continued.
The jury will decide Anthony’s sentencing.
The case quickly drew national attention because of the circumstances surrounding the stabbing, Anthony’s claim of self-defense, the family’s fundraisers on GiveSendGo, and especially the racial dynamics involved. Anthony is black; Metcalf was white.
After the verdict was announced, protests erupted outside the courthouse. Angry supporters of Anthony chanted, “Free Karmelo!” while one demonstrator shouted, “This whole thing’s been racist!”
Much of the protesters’ frustration centered on the fact that no black jurors were seated on the panel. During jury selection, prosecutors used peremptory strikes to remove the remaining black prospective jurors. Anthony’s attorneys objected, filing a Batson challenge and arguing that the strikes were racially motivated.
Prosecutors countered that the jurors were excluded for race-neutral reasons, specifically because they were educators. Judge John Roach accepted that explanation and denied the defense’s challenge, clearing the way for the jury that ultimately heard the case.
I will update this post once the sentence has been handed down.
Update added: June 9, 9:25 p.m.
From Fox News:
A Collin County jury has sentenced Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison after he was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Memorial High School student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.Anthony faced up to life in prison after being convicted of murder. He will be eligible for parole after serving half that time.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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