Texas jury convicts Karmelo Anthony of murder in fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at 2025 track meet
A Collin County jury deliberated less than three hours before finding Karmelo Anthony, 19, guilty of murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of fellow student Austin Metcalf. The case drew national attention over its racial dynamics.
A Texas jury on Tuesday found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, a confrontation that began over shelter from rain at a high school track meet in Frisco in April 2025. The verdict, reached in under three hours, carries a sentence of five years to life in prison.
The altercation
Both Anthony, of Centennial High School, and Metcalf, of Memorial High School, were 17 when a rain shower caused confusion at a Frisco Independent School District track meet on 2 April 2025. Centennial did not have a tent, and when Anthony sought cover under Memorial's tent, a confrontation occurred. Witnesses told police that Metcalf told Anthony to leave.
Touch me and find out.
Prosecuting attorney Bill Wirskye said Anthony threatened Metcalf with those words, quoting trial testimony. The prosecution argued that Anthony then reached into a bag for a knife and stabbed Metcalf in what Wirskye called a "sneak, surprise attack." Metcalf was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local hospital.
The trial
Prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses over the one-week trial, focusing on eyewitness accounts that portrayed Anthony as the aggressor. Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Elizabeth Ventura testified that the knife pierced Metcalf's heart, leaving a large chest wound.
The defense argued Anthony acted in self-defense after being confronted by larger opponents. The defense noted Metcalf and his twin brother Hunter are about 6ft 1in and 213lb, while Anthony is 5ft 8in and about 130lb. Track coach Adam Linwood testified that Anthony had been nominated for team captain, and the defense highlighted his 4.0 grade point average.
Judge John Roach Jr gave jurors the option to consider manslaughter charges, which would have carried a maximum 20-year sentence. The jury instead returned a murder verdict.
Race and national attention
The case drew widespread attention on social media, with viral posts highlighting that Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. The civil rights organization Next Generation Action Network noted that not one juror was Black. Attorneys selected 12 jurors and six alternates; none was Black.
Sentencing and reaction
Anthony, now 19, was tried as an adult under Texas law despite being a minor at the time. The murder conviction carries a sentence of five years to life. When the verdict was read, Anthony broke down in tears and his parents left the courtroom. Hunter Metcalf, attending court for the first time after being on the witness list, leaned forward as the verdict was announced. Anthony has been remanded into the custody of the Collin County sheriff's office.
