Latest on Karmelo Anthony case: Motive was central to murder trial

A Texas jury on June 9 convicted a teenager in the killing of a fellow student and competitor at a high school track meet last year, marking the end of a trial that drew national attention and shocked an affluent community outside Dallas.

Karmelo Anthony, 19, was found guilty of murder for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. The Collin County jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued that Anthony had threatened Metcalf before the stabbing, while the defense maintained that Anthony had acted in self-defense. They were both 17 at the time of the incident.

The case prompted questions around school safety and inflamed racial tensions in the community and beyond. Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. Supporters of the defense and prosecution gathered each day outside the courtroom, and fundraisers for both sides racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations.

The highly emotional trial included graphic footage of the incident and saw Anthony's mother ask the jury for mercy. During sentencing, Metcalf's mother addressed Anthony directly, saying, "You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years, you should feel lucky because I've been sentenced to a life without my son."

Here's what to know about the case and the controversial trial.

What happened in the Karmelo Anthony trial?

The trial, which began with jury selection on June 1, included emotional testimony from eye witnesses and video recordings of the chaotic scene at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco. The judge in the case banned cameras, livestreams and audio recording inside the courtroom.

Prosecutors argued that the stabbing was an unjustified attack that stemmed from a disagreement over Anthony's presence under a Memorial High School team tent during the rainy track meet, the Associated Press reported. Defense attorneys contended that Anthony believed he was threatened and acted to protect himself after physical contact occurred.

According to Fox 4 News, prosecutors called 21 witnesses before resting their case June 6.

Case drew death threats, rumors and widespread controversy

After the incident, both families were the subjects of intense harassment. They received death threats, had their home addresses posted online and were swatted.

"Whatever you think that happened between Karmelo and the Metcalf boys, my three younger children, my husband and I didn't do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about," Anthony's mother, Kala Hayes, said at a news conference in April 2025.

Jeff Metcalf, Austin Metcalf's father, said on June 9 that he had been the target of six swatting calls and that his son's mother has been targeted at least twice. He also addressed rumors about his family, which he described as efforts to "tear down my son's memory."

Many in defense of Anthony criticized the prosecution for striking three Black women from the jury pool. The Next Generation Action Network, a local civil rights organization, said the move raised "serious concerns about fairness and equal justice."

Why did he do it? Motive in Austin Metcalf stabbing was central to murder trial

Multiple witnesses recalled statements made by Anthony immediately after the stabbing that prosecutors pointed to as an admission of guilt.

Eduardo Cortez, a school resource officer, testified that when he reported having the "alleged suspect" in handcuffs, Anthony replied, "I'm not alleged, I did it."

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors that Anthony started the confrontation with Austin in a tent and immediately admitted to the stabbing, allegedly telling bystanders that Austin touched him first "as if it justifies the murder he just committed," NBC DFW reported.

Anthony's attorney, Mike Howard, painted Austin and his twin brother as the aggressors, according to NBC DFW. Howard said Anthony warned Austin not to touch him and had a right to defend himself after Austin initiated physical contact.

"There is no evidence Karmelo did anything but really think he was defending himself in that split second of chaos," Howard said June 9.

Karmelo Anthony sentencing details

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Jurors could have sentenced Anthony to as little as two years in prison or up to the rest of his life behind bars. (Texas law allowed Anthony to be charged as an adult though he was 17 at the time of the incident.)

Hundreds had gathered outside the courtroom for the verdict and sentencing on June 9. After the news broke, two people in the tense crowd were arrested following an alleged assault, FOX 4 reported.

The verdict also drew the attention of celebrities, including Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, who expressed outrage at the decades-long prison sentence.

"Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING… This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!" she wrote on X.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Amanda Lee Myers and Anthony Thompson