A 75-page court dossier on Karmelo Anthony, the teenager convicted of fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf, reveals previously unseen photos of the killer posing with firearms and a trove of racist and homophobic text messages sent before the murder. The documents, obtained by the Daily Mail, were not presented to the jury due to a "gentleman's agreement" between prosecutors and the defense not to introduce negative background evidence from either teenager.
Anthony, who was 16 at the time of the stabbing in April 2025, was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The newly revealed court files include photos of Anthony shirtless posing with a handgun in November 2024, five months before the killing. Another image from May 5, 2024, shows him holding an AK-47-style rifle alongside three other teenagers. He also recorded a video in January 2025 pointing a gun at a house before running away.
Text messages sent by Anthony to his girlfriend, Valeria Perez, in March 2025 expressed intense racial animosity. He wrote, "I fing despise black b**es," and "all tht wig glue getting to they f**ing brain." In another message, he stated, "they need to go die."
Anthony also sent homophobic messages. In June 2021, he told a friend, "These fing gay people are fing everything up." He then targeted President Joe Biden, calling him a "n***a" and "Gay ASB [as balls]." He expressed a preference for Donald Trump, stating, "I like Trump better not go cap. Like for like his business reasons. Another reason Trump didn't like gay ppl Biden does. I hate gay ppl."
Prosecutors argued that these files demonstrated Anthony's history of violence and obsession with weapons. The dossier also contains a text exchange from October 2024 where Anthony bragged about planning a burglary, telling Perez, "might gt jail." It is unclear if the burglary occurred.
Prior to the murder, Anthony had also told Perez in November 2024 that he had taken a gun and knife to school, according to the documents.
The stabbing occurred on April 2, 2025, after an argument at a track meet. Metcalf had asked Anthony to leave the team tent, which escalated into a physical confrontation. Anthony then stabbed Metcalf once in the chest with a folding knife he had in his backpack. Anthony claimed self-defense, but was convicted of murder.
The trial drew significant national attention and protests from groups like the Proud Boys and The Black Panthers. To de-escalate tensions, lead prosecutor Bill Wirskye proposed a "gentleman's agreement." This non-binding deal ensured Anthony's past violent behavior and weapon obsession would be kept from the jury, in exchange for the defense not introducing evidence of Metcalf's background, which included racist graffiti and other offensive material.
In August, Anthony's new defense team pursued an appeal for a new trial, arguing the "gentleman's agreement" denied him a fair trial by withholding crucial evidence about his state of mind and history. This appeal hearing provided the first public account of the evidence excluded from the original trial.
During the appeal, it was also revealed that on the day of the murder, Anthony's girlfriend, Valeria Perez, reportedly told an assistant principal that she was trying to end their relationship and that Anthony was stalking her. A message recovered from Anthony's phone that day appeared to show him sending her a photograph of a knife with the caption: "I'm lowkey on the verge."
Perez, who has maintained contact with Anthony and attended his appeal hearings, had initially broken up with him, telling school officials about his stalking behavior on the day of the stabbing. However, she has continued to date him. His parents have also continued to solicit donations for his legal expenses, having raised over $600,000, despite having a team of six lawyers working pro bono.
Anthony's appeals process is ongoing and could take years. He remains incarcerated northeast of Houston.