A Texas jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder June 9 for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a 2025 high school track meet in a case that drew national attention and sparked political debates over school safety and race.
The Collin County jury returned the verdict after about three hours of deliberations, rejecting Anthony's claim that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf during an altercation at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025.
Anthony, now 19, faces a possible sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.
The stabbing occurred during a Frisco Independent School District regional track meet that had been affected by rainy weather. Testimony showed Anthony, then a Centennial High School student-athlete competing at the meet, went under Memorial High School's team tent during the rain. Witnesses said he remained there after several Memorial students asked him to leave.
Witnesses testified that tensions escalated as Anthony refused to leave and challenged students to remove him. Several students said Anthony warned others not to touch him while keeping a hand inside his backpack. Prosecutors said Metcalf eventually pushed Anthony in an effort to move him from the tent. Anthony then pulled a folding knife from his backpack and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.
Metcalf collapsed after telling others he had been stabbed. Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures, but Metcalf died from the wound, which had pierced his heart, according to testimony from the medical examiner.
Anthony remained at the scene and was taken into custody. According to police testimony, he admitted to the stabbing.
The case attracted widespread attention across the country and generated intense online debate. Anthony is black and Metcalf was white, though prosecutors said race played no role in the stabbing itself. Authorities reported that both families were subjected to threats, harassment, and doxxing as public interest in the case grew.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors that Anthony had opportunities to walk away from the confrontation and argued that Texas law does not permit the use of deadly force in response to a shove.
"You do not get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove," Wirskye said, according to courtroom reports.
Defense attorney Mike Howard argued that Metcalf had no legal right to physically remove Anthony from the tent and urged jurors to consider the situation from Anthony's perspective.
Anthony did not testify during the trial. Prosecutors called more than 20 witnesses, including students, coaches, police officers, first responders, and the medical examiner.
Following the verdict, Judge John Roach Jr. ordered Anthony into custody and began the sentencing phase of the trial before the same jury.