by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News June 9, 2026
A Texas jury on Monday afternoon found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf.
Austin Metcalf, left, and Karmelo Anthony
Metcalf, 17, was killed by Anthony, then 17, in April 2025 during a championship track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Following the verdict, the case moved immediately to the sentencing phase. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after serving half the sentence.
Metcalf died in his twin brother Hunter Metcalf’s arms.
During the trial, numerous eyewitnesses who testified said Anthony instigated the fight and stabbed Metcalf in an unprovoked attack.
Current and former students who witnessed the brutal stabbing testified under oath that Anthony was looking for a fight.
The state rested its case on Saturday after calling 21 witnesses.
According to trial testimony, Anthony, a student from a different school, sat beneath Memorial High School’s tent at the track meet shortly before the confrontation began. Several student athletes testified that they questioned why he was there and repeatedly asked him to leave.
Witnesses told jurors that Austin Metcalf eventually approached Anthony and asked him to move. One student testified that Anthony was asked to leave roughly 15 times. Multiple witnesses recalled Anthony responding with statements such as, “Touch me and you’ll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
Several students testified that Anthony became increasingly aggressive as the exchange continued. One witness told jurors it appeared Anthony was provoking Metcalf, while another testified it looked like Anthony was “looking for a fight.” Multiple witnesses said they did not believe Metcalf wanted to fight, with one recalling Metcalf saying, “I’m not going to fight you at a track meet.”
On Monday, the defense called a teen witness to the stand who had previously claimed that Anthony was “surrounded” and ganged up on prior to the stabbing.
However, on Monday, the teen testified on cross-examination that “Karmelo was in the wrong” and provoked the confrontation, Fox News reported.
Fox News reporter Brooke Taylor noted:
During closing arguments, the defense focused on self-defense, arguing “Austin and Hunter had the right to tell Melo to leave, but they did not have the right to use deadly force to make him leave. Melo had an absolute right to defense himself against that.”
The prosecutor told jurors the case comes down to one simple point: “You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove. That equals murder, plain and simple.”
The jury decided between murder, manslaughter, or acquittal on Tuesday.
