A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of murder in the death of Austin Metcalf.
MCKINNEY, TX — A Collin County jury sentenced Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison Tuesday after convicting him of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a 2025 high school track meet in Frisco.
The verdict and sentence ended a closely watched trial that focused on a brief confrontation under a team tent during bad weather. Anthony, now 19, admitted stabbing Metcalf but said he acted in self-defense. Prosecutors said the killing was not justified and asked jurors to hold Anthony responsible for bringing a knife into the argument.
The stabbing happened April 2, 2025, at a Frisco ISD track meet. Witnesses said rain had pushed students under tents near the stadium seating. Anthony, a Centennial High School student, was under a Memorial High School team tent when Metcalf and others told him to leave. Prosecutors told jurors the exchange grew tense, but they said it did not excuse the knife attack. During closing arguments, prosecutors described the stabbing as “murder plain and simple.” Defense lawyers said Anthony was outnumbered, scared and reacting to a threat in a fast-moving confrontation.
Jurors rejected the defense argument after hearing from students, police officers, medical witnesses and family members. Witnesses testified that Anthony refused to leave the tent after several requests. Some said Metcalf shoved Anthony before the stabbing. Prosecutors said Anthony then used a folding knife and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest. The wound pierced Metcalf’s heart. Metcalf died at the scene despite efforts to save him. Anthony did not testify during the trial. His lawyers argued that the shove and the crowd around him supported his claim that he feared for his safety.
The jury also declined to convict Anthony of a lesser offense such as manslaughter. During the punishment phase, jurors considered whether the case involved sudden passion, a finding that could have reduced the possible sentence. They rejected that claim and set the punishment at 35 years in state prison. The sentencing phase was brief. Anthony’s mother was among the voices asking jurors for mercy, telling them her son was sorry. Members of Metcalf’s family spoke about the loss of a son, brother, teammate and friend.
The case drew wide public attention across North Texas and beyond, in part because both teens were students in the same fast-growing suburban school district and because the killing happened at a school sports event. Metcalf was a Memorial High School student and athlete. Anthony was a Centennial High School student. The two did not appear to have a long personal history before the encounter at the meet. The trial brought heavy security and large crowds to the Collin County courthouse, where spectators lined up for seats during testimony and closing arguments.
Race also became part of public debate around the case, though lawyers and family members disputed that it explained the killing. Anthony is Black, and Metcalf was white. Some of Anthony’s supporters questioned whether he was treated fairly by the justice system. Metcalf’s father and legal teams said the case turned on the facts of the stabbing, not race. Outside the courthouse, supporters of both families gathered as the trial moved toward a verdict. Police kept watch as emotions ran high after the jury announced its decision.
Inside court, the punishment decision followed the same day as the guilty verdict. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before finding Anthony guilty of murder, then later returned with the 35-year sentence. The sentence means Anthony will enter the state prison system after being remanded into custody. Any appeal would move through the Texas courts, where defense lawyers could challenge trial rulings, jury instructions or other legal issues. No appeal decision was before the court at sentencing.
Metcalf’s family described the verdict as an accountability moment after more than a year of grief. His twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, had been present in the case as both a witness to the loss and a surviving family member. Family members said Austin Metcalf’s death changed graduations, team memories and ordinary family life. Anthony’s family also showed emotion as the sentence was read. His supporters said the prison term was severe for a teenager who claimed he feared harm during the confrontation.
As of Tuesday night, Anthony had been convicted, sentenced and taken into custody. The next formal step would be entry into the state prison system and any post-trial motions or appeal filings from the defense.
Author note: Last updated June 9, 2026.