Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty in Stabbing Death of Austin Metcalf

MCKINNEY, TX — A jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder on Tuesday afternoon in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours.

The trial will now move to the sentencing phase. Anthony is facing 5 to 99 years in prison. Because he was a minor at the time of the murder, Anthony can not receive the death penalty.

The high-profile trial has received national attention since Anthony, then 17, stabbed Metcalf, who was also 17, in the chest at a track meet in Frisco on April 2, 2025.

Numerous witnesses testified that Anthony went into another high school’s tent at the track meet, and he refused to leave despite being asked repeatedly.

When confronted by Metcalf, Anthony reportedly reached into his backpack and said, “Touch me and see what happens.”

When the unarmed Metcalf apparently pushed him, Anthony then pulled out a knife and stabbed him before running and throwing the knife under the stands.

Anthony admitted to police that he stabbed Metcalf but claimed it was in self defense.

The jury determined his actions were not proportional to any threat that came from Metcalf.

Because Anthony is black and Metcalf was white, the trial had a level of racial tension to it that included numerous activists outside the court house, including members of the New Black Panther Party.

In the days following Metcalf’s death, Anthony’s family received more than $625,000 in donations on GiveSendGo, which outraged many people who believed the fatal stabbing wasn’t justified.

The incident has remained a hot-button topic nationally until the start of jury selection Monday, June 1. Opening statements and witness testimony began three days later, and the trial moved relatively quickly from there.