A Texas jury convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, sentencing him to 35 years in prison. The verdict came after less than three hours of deliberation by the jury in Collin County, a Dallas suburb, following a week of testimony. Anthony, who was 17 at the time of the killing, reportedly believed he would be acquitted and was visibly shocked by the guilty verdict and subsequent sentence.
Dallas activist Dominique Alexander, a friend and advocate for Anthony's family, told the Daily Mail that Anthony had been led to believe by his attorney that the case would result in his freedom. "At the end of the day, you got your attorney saying, 'It's all right, it's all right. We got this, we got this,'" Alexander said. Anthony's confidence reportedly shattered when the verdict was read, and he became inconsolable during a recess before sentencing.
Metcalf's father, Jeff Metcalf, stated that he believed Anthony and his legal team were living in a "pipe dream fantasy" and did not want to confront the facts of the case. He added that his family views the 35-year sentence as a "life sentence" for themselves, as his son will never return. Anthony has since been transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit prison and is appealing his conviction.
Sources confirmed to the Daily Mail that Anthony had been expected to testify in his own defense but withdrew his intention at the last minute on June 9, the day the defense rested its case. His testimony would have been central to a self-defense claim, allowing jurors to hear directly why he felt he was in fear for his life. The reason for this eleventh-hour decision remains unclear, with Alexander suggesting that Anthony, as a minor at the time, may not have had the experience to make such critical decisions without his attorney's influence.
The fatal incident occurred on April 2, 2025, during a rain delay at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. The confrontation began when Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, entered the Memorial High School team tent, where he was not permitted. Witnesses reported that Metcalf approached Anthony and asked him to leave. The verbal exchange escalated when Metcalf, who was standing, attempted to shove Anthony, who was seated on the bleachers. Anthony then used a folding knife, which he had already opened and concealed in his bag, plunging it into Metcalf's chest and fatally wounding him. Metcalf collapsed and died at the scene.
Anthony admitted to stabbing Metcalf but claimed self-defense. His defense attorneys highlighted the physical disparity between the two, with Metcalf being approximately 55 pounds heavier and 14 inches taller than Anthony. Metcalf, a football linebacker, stood at 6 feet 2 inches, while Anthony was 5 feet 8 inches. However, prosecutors presented witness testimony from dozens of students from various schools and backgrounds who testified that Metcalf was not initiating a fight and had merely asked Anthony to leave the tent before Anthony escalated the situation with deadly force.
