A Collin County jury has sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison after convicting him of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a 2025 high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony was taken into custody following sentencing.
Jurors rejected his claim that he acted in self-defense and found he did not act under “sudden passion,” leaving him eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.
During sentencing, members of Metcalf’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting effects of the killing.
Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, addressed Anthony directly and spoke about losing someone he described as his best friend.
Hunter said the loss continues to affect him every day and told Anthony he wanted him to understand the pain inflicted on his family.
“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend from this world,” Hunter said during sentencing, according to Trending Politics.
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, followed with an emotional statement directed at Anthony. As Anthony repeatedly kept his head down and avoided eye contact with members of the family, Jeff urged him to look up.
“Don’t look down,” he said at one point.
Metcalf later reflected on the impact of his son’s death, telling the court, “My son’s death destroyed the person I used to be.”
He also rejected allegations raised during the trial that Austin or Hunter had bullied Anthony, stating, “My boys weren’t bullies.”
Growing increasingly emotional, Metcalf challenged Anthony’s refusal to look at him, saying, “You can’t look me in the eyes, but you can stab my f—— son!”
Metcalf also spoke about the anger he has experienced since the killing.
“People think grief is sadness. It is not. It is rage. Pure, unfiltered rage,” he said, adding that while he had chosen to forgive Anthony personally, he did not forgive the act that took his son’s life.
Austin’s mother, Meghan Metcalf, closed the family statements by recalling the lasting impact of losing her son and reflecting on the final day she saw him alive.
Addressing Anthony, she said, “You may have been sentenced to 35 years behind bars. You should feel lucky. I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.”
Anthony appeared visibly emotional as the sentence was read and was escorted from the courtroom by deputies following the proceeding.
The punishment phase followed the jury’s determination that he did not act under “sudden passion,” a finding that left him exposed to a potential life sentence before jurors ultimately settled on 35 years, according to The Post Millennial.
Prosecutors argued that Anthony escalated a verbal dispute into a fatal encounter by pulling a knife and stabbing an unarmed Metcalf in the chest during an argument at the track meet.
Jurors ultimately agreed, returning a murder conviction after hearing days of testimony from students, law enforcement officers, coaches, and medical experts.
The confrontation occurred on April 2, 2025, at Kuykendall Stadium during a weather delay involving multiple North Texas schools.
Testimony showed Anthony, a student from another school, had been sitting beneath a team tent and was asked multiple times to leave before tensions escalated.
Witnesses offered differing accounts regarding the physical contact that occurred immediately before the stabbing.
Defense attorneys argued Anthony acted in self-defense after being physically confronted and pointed to inconsistencies in witness testimony surrounding the moments leading up to the encounter.
Jurors ultimately rejected that argument and sided with prosecutors.
The verdict drew significant public attention both inside and outside the courtroom.
Following the conviction, a representative connected to Anthony’s family criticized the jury composition, alleging the panel did not include black jurors, according to The Gateway Pundit.
Court reporting from other outlets indicated the jury included members from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said the verdict reflected the jury’s review of the evidence presented during trial and reinforced the consequences for violent criminal conduct.
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