A Texas jury on Tuesday found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, rejecting the defense's claim of self-defense. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Anthony, now 19, faced the verdict without having taken the stand during the nearly week-long trial. Jurors deliberated fewer than three hours before finding him guilty, passing over the option of a manslaughter charge.
The confrontation unfolded when Anthony refused to leave a tent belonging to Metcalf's Memorial High School team during a rainy spring competition on April 2, 2025. Witnesses testified that the dispute escalated after Metcalf and teammates repeatedly demanded he leave. Several students recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, "You don't have anything in that backpack. It's Frisco," moments before Anthony pulled out a knife.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye argued Anthony was the aggressor, while defense attorney Mike Howard maintained Metcalf had "no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.” Howard urged jurors to consider Anthony's perspective: "Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit."
During sentencing, Anthony's mother, Kala Hayes, was the only witness called. "He's very sorry for what he did. Please, have mercy on my son," she pleaded.
Officers and fire personnel responded and attempted lifesaving measures, including CPR and administering blood. Anthony was taken into custody the same day and charged with first-degree murder felony.
"When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core," Willis said in a statement following the indictment. Under Texas law, 17-year-olds are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. A first-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of 5 to 99 years, or life, in a Texas prison, with an optional fine up to $10,000.
The case drew widespread attention beyond the Dallas suburb, fueled in part by social media posts that framed the killing in racial terms—Anthony is black, and Metcalf was white. Attorneys on both sides, however, told the jury that race played no role in the case.
Both Anthony and Metcalf were described by their families as strong students with plans to attend college. Anthony's lawyer had an arm around him when the verdict was read.