A Texas jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty Tuesday of the 2025 murder of Austin Metcalf, a fellow high school student who was fatally stabbed during a Dallas-area track meet.
Background
The fatal confrontation occurred April 2, 2025, during a district-wide track meet in Frisco, a Dallas suburb. Anthony, then 17 years old and a student at Centennial High School, had sat in the bleachers under the tent belonging to rival school Memorial High School, where Metcalf was a member of the track team. Witnesses testified that Metcalf and others confronted Anthony and told him to leave, with some describing physical intimidation.
Metcalf, 17, died in his twin brother's arms on that rainy afternoon, their father Jeff Metcalf said. The teenager was described by family as the MVP of his football team who maintained a 4.0 grade point average.
"He was loved by many. He was a leader," Jeff Metcalf said of his son.
The Trial
During closing arguments, Anthony's attorney Mike Howard argued that prosecutors failed to prove his client did "anything but defend himself" after Metcalf and others became enraged that he was in their high school's tent area. Howard sought to establish that visiting rival teams' tents was customary at meets and that Anthony faced physical intimidation.
"Is it reasonable to worry these kids might jump in... because the split second of chaos is you can't know what's about to happen," Howard told jurors, referencing concerns about Metcalf's twin brother potentially intervening during the confrontation.
Prosecuting attorney Bill Wirskye rebutted that depiction, presenting testimony that Anthony threatened Metcalf when he warned, "touch me and find out." Wirskye argued the encounter was one-on-one and that others under the tent had not turned on Anthony. Video evidence shown during trial supported this account, according to prosecutors.
"The stabbing is murder, murder, murder," Wirskye said in his closing. He maintained that while some characterized the events as a tragedy affecting everyone involved, "it's not a tragedy for Anthony." "It's the decisions he made and that he has to come to terms with," Wirskye added.
Several witnesses, many friends or teammates of Metcalf, testified that at one point Metcalf pushed Anthony to get him to move. There was some disagreement over how forceful the push was, but several witnesses maintained Anthony bore primary responsibility for the escalation. Judge John Roach Jr. issued an order preventing publication of names of key witnesses who were under 18.
A school resource officer testified that after the stabbing, Anthony said he had warned Metcalf not to touch him, and also acknowledged he had committed the stabbing while asking if Metcalf would be okay.
Key Takeaways
- Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder in the death of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a Frisco high school track meet in April 2025
- The jury rejected Anthony's self-defense claim, which argued he was confronted and physically intimidated under the rival school's tent
- Anthony was 17 at the time of the stabbing but was charged as an adult under Texas law; he is now 19
- The verdict carries a sentence of five years to life in prison
- Austin Metcalf was described by his father as the MVP of his football team with a 4.0 GPA
- Anthony's defense argued that visiting rival teams' tents and socializing at meets was customary practice among students
What's Next
Texas District Court Judge John Roach Jr., who presided over the trial, will determine Anthony's exact sentence within the five-years-to-life range. Anthony had posted $250,000 bond and was placed on house arrest pending trial. Under an agreement with the Frisco Independent School District, he was permitted to graduate while on supervised release.
The case drew national attention amid online debates about its racial components—Metcalf was white and Anthony is Black. Last week, civil rights organization Next Generation Action Network, which advocated in favor of Anthony, denounced the racial composition of the jury, noting that no juror was Black. Metcalf's attorneys have downplayed race as a factor in the case.