Karmelo Anthony found guilty of murder in Texas track meet stabbing

Anthony admitted stabbing Memorial High School student Austin Metcalf but claimed self-defense

A Collin County jury has sentenced Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison after he was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Memorial High School student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

Anthony faced up to life in prison after being convicted of murder. He will be eligible for parole after serving half that time.

He broke down in tears and was shaking as the verdict was read Tuesday afternoon, and he was immediately taken into custody. The case immediately moved into the sentencing phase, with Anthony’s mother as the sole witness called to the stand to implore the judge to impose a lenient punishment.

“Please have mercy on my son,” Kayla Hays said as mascara stains could be seen streaking her tear-soaked cheeks.

“He’s my oldest, my first born, my baby, I love him very much,” she said.

When asked by Anthony’s defense team if her son regretted his actions, Hays replied, “Yes, he’s very sorry for what he did.”

A split of Karmelo Anthony (left) and Austin Metcalf. Anthony was accused of stabbing Metcalf to death during an April 2, 2025 track meet in Frisco, Texas. (FOX4; Jeff Metcalf)

Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, was in the courtroom room for the first time. Metcalf’s mother was crying and hugging supporters.

Following Anthony’s sentencing, the court heard from Metcalf’s loved ones who had prepared victim impact statements.

“Since the day he first grabbed my finger, he had my heart with it,” Metcalf’s father, Jeff, said, according to FOX 4.

Hunter Metcalf also reportedly took the stand to confront his twin brother’s killer directly, asking Anthony to look him in the eye and that he “would really respect that.”

“Now I want everything taken from you,” Hunter Metcalf said. “You took everything from me. I wake up every morning and his door is still shut.”

Metcalf’s mother, Megan, described how she packed her son a snack before the track meet and sent him off, not realizing it would be the last time she ever saw him, according to FOX 4.

“Now I only have videos and memories of his laugh,” Megan Metcalf said, the outlet reported. “You may have been given a sentence of 35 years. You should feel lucky. I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.”

Jurors were then tasked with determining Anthony’s sentence, in which they decided Metcalf’s stabbing was not in “sudden passion,” which would have capped his potential prison time at 20 years behind bars. He ultimately faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

A court sketch depicts the scene from Karmelo Anthony’s trial as he was convicted of murder in the 2025 stabbing death of Austin Metcalf in Collin County, Texas on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (Pat Lopez)

A court sketch depicts the scene from Karmelo Anthony’s trial as his mother, Kayla Hays, is called as the sole witness during the sentencing phase after Anthony was convicted of murder in the 2025 stabbing death of Austin Metcalf  in Collin County, Texas on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (Pat Lopez)

The verdict followed days of emotional testimony from student athletes, police officers, forensic experts and coaches who described the confrontation that ended with Metcalf’s death at Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025.

The verdict was reached just three hours after jurors were sent to deliberate following closing arguments Tuesday.

The jury in Karmelo Anthony’s trial had to decide if he acted in “sudden passion” when he stabbed Austin Metcalf to death at a Texas high school track — a finding that would have capped his sentence at 20 years instead of life in prison. (KDFW)

Anthony, who was 17 at the time, admitted he stabbed Metcalf but claimed he acted in self-defense.

WATCH: Crowds clash outside Karmelo Anthony murder trial

Video

As the verdict was being read, more than one hundred protesters – split between supporters of Metcalf and Anthony – descended on the courthouse, and at least one protester was taken into custody after a fight broke out in response to the guilty verdict.

People outside of Collin County Courthouse react as news of a verdict is announced in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial in McKinney, Texas, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

WATCH: Experts analyze guilty verdict of Karmelo Anthony in Texas stabbing trial

Video

What happened at the track meet

At the center of the case was a confrontation that unfolded beneath a Memorial High School team tent during a rainy track meet attended by schools from across North Texas.

A courtroom sketch depicts Karmelo Anthony and his defense team as jurors view surveillance video during Anthony’s murder trial in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco, Texas, track meet. (Pat Lopez)

According to trial testimony, Anthony, a student from a different school, sat beneath the Memorial tent shortly before the confrontation began. Several student athletes testified that they questioned why he was there and repeatedly asked him to leave.

A shouting match is caught on video outside the Karmelo Anthony trial in Texas on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  (Fox News)

People outside of Collin County Courthouse react after Karmelo Anthony is found guilty of the murder of Austin Metcalf, McKinney, Texas, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

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.”

🗞️ Your information could help uncover the next big story.

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.”

WATCH: Man outside of Karmelo Anthony trial weighs in on verdict

Video

KARMELO ANTHONY DEFENSE RESTS, ATTORNEYS PREP FOR CLOSING ARGUMENTS BEFORE JURY DELIBERATES IN MURDER TRIAL

Karmelo Anthony, suspect in the stabbing death of Texas track star Austin Metcalf, walks out of Collin County Jail on April 14, 2025. (KDFW)

A court sketch depicts the scene from Karmelo Anthony’s trial shortly before jurors were sent to deliberate in Collin County, Texas on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  (Pat Lopez)

Witnesses also repeatedly referenced Anthony keeping one hand inside his backpack during the exchange. Several students testified they believed Anthony was bluffing when he suggested he had something in the bag.

The confrontation turned physical moments later. Witnesses gave differing accounts about exactly how Metcalf touched Anthony before the stabbing, with some describing a shove and others describing a grab. Testimony also varied on whether Metcalf used one hand or two.

Anthony then stabbed Metcalf in the chest, according to testimony.

Several students said they initially believed Anthony was bluffing. One witness testified that he did not realize Metcalf had been stabbed until he saw Anthony throw an object into the bleachers. Another recalled hearing Metcalf say, “Oh my God.”

Mugshot of Karmelo Anthony, left, and Austin Metcalf in football pads, right. (Fox DFW/Jeff Metcalf)

The prosecution’s case

Prosecutors argued that Anthony escalated a verbal disagreement into a deadly encounter by pulling a knife from his backpack and stabbing an unarmed teenager.

To support that argument, prosecutors called 21 witnesses, including students who witnessed the confrontation, investigators who processed the crime scene and the medical examiner who performed Metcalf’s autopsy.

Several student witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor and that the stabbing did not appear to be an act of self-defense.

One witness testified that no one attempted to gang up on Anthony and described the physical contact before the stabbing as “minor pushing at most.” Another witness testified that Anthony appeared to be “looking for a fight.” Jurors also heard testimony that Anthony told an officer after the stabbing, “I’m not alleged, I did it. He put his hands on me. I told him not to.”

The medical examiner’s testimony was among the most difficult moments of the trial. Metcalf’s family left the courtroom while autopsy photographs were shown to the jury and his injuries were described in detail.

The defense’s case

Defense attorneys argued that Anthony acted in self-defense after being confronted by a larger student and physically touched during the dispute.

Throughout the trial, defense attorneys emphasized that Anthony was seated for much of the confrontation while Metcalf and other students were standing nearby. Testimony indicated Metcalf outweighed Anthony by roughly 50 to 60 pounds.

Defense attorney Mike Howard delivers opening statements during Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial in a courtroom sketch from the Collin County courthouse (Pat Lopez)

Defense attorneys also highlighted inconsistencies among witness accounts regarding where students were positioned, how many hands Metcalf used when touching Anthony and who was standing nearby at the time of the confrontation.

Anthony’s track coach testified that athletes from different schools routinely mingle at track meets and said his team lacked enough volunteers to set up a tent that day. He acknowledged, however, that students should leave if asked to leave another team’s tent.

One of Anthony’s friends testified that he had previously spent time under tents belonging to other schools without issue but said he would leave if asked.

Defense witnesses also pointed to testimony that another student under the tent knew Anthony and greeted him when he arrived.

After the prosecution rested its case, defense attorneys moved for a directed verdict, arguing prosecutors had failed to prove their case. The judge denied the motion.

Demonstrators showed support for Karmelo Anthony outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, on the first day of jury selection in his trial on June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The emotional toll

The trial frequently shifted from legal arguments to raw emotion.

Video

Several teenage witnesses became emotional while recounting the events of April 2, 2025. One testified while holding a football because it helped calm his nerves. Another gripped a yellow stress ball throughout his testimony.

That witness, a football player and track athlete, told jurors that his father had recently been murdered in California. He described Metcalf as a football captain and mentor who believed in him.

A recent Liberty High School graduate became emotional while recalling seeing Metcalf bleeding after the stabbing.

A New Black Panther Party member stands outside of Collin County Courthouse where Karmelo Anthony is on trial for murder in McKinney, Texas, Monday, June 8, 2026. Anthony faces first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

Witnesses repeatedly described Metcalf as a leader, teammate and role model.

One student testified that Metcalf was “always leading” and “always protecting us.”

Another recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, “I’m not going to fight you at a track meet.”

The trial also brought renewed attention to the devastation suffered by the Metcalf family.

Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, witnessed the stabbing and was with Austin in his final moments.

Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has repeatedly spoken publicly about losing his son.

Jeff Metcalf stands with his son Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, who was stabbed in the chest at a track meet, allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)

“Austin was the light of my life,” Metcalf previously told Fox News.

Metcalf said his son died in Hunter’s arms.

“This person made a bad choice and affected both his family and my family forever,” he said.

Despite the tragedy, Metcalf publicly expressed forgiveness toward Anthony.

“People ask me, how can you forgive this other person?” Metcalf told Fox News. “I forgive the other person because the forgiveness is not for him. The forgiveness is for me so I can have peace. His life is destroyed. My life is destroyed.”

National attention and courthouse demonstrations

The case drew national attention in the months leading up to trial, fueled by public debate over Anthony’s self-defense claim, questions surrounding race and demonstrations organized by supporters of both families.

Demonstrators show support for Austin Metcalf outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, on the first day of jury selection in Karmelo Anthony’s trial on June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The attention surrounding the case extended beyond the courtroom and often played out outside the Collin County courthouse.

Throughout the trial, a small group of Anthony supporters gathered outside carrying signs reading “Justice for Karmelo Anthony.” At times, supporters chanted and held demonstrations in the courthouse parking lot. While tensions occasionally flared between supporters and passersby, no major confrontations were reported.

On the day the jury was expected to begin deliberations, Dominique Alexander and the Next Generation Action Network, the activist group that has publicly supported Anthony’s family since shortly after the stabbing, held a news conference outside the courthouse urging supporters to remain peaceful and respect the judicial process.

In a statement, the organization warned against individuals it described as seeking to provoke confrontations and called for demonstrations to remain focused on “justice, fairness, due process, and equal protection under the law.”

The group also condemned threats, political violence and extremist rhetoric directed at anyone connected to the case, including Anthony, his family, supporters, journalists and court personnel.

The demonstrations reflected the national attention the case attracted, with supporters and critics debating Anthony’s self-defense claim, the role race played in public reaction to the case and broader questions about justice and accountability.

Meanwhile, Metcalf’s family repeatedly urged the public to focus on Austin’s life and the facts presented in court.

SOURE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/karmelo-anthony-jury-reaches-verdict-murder-trial-texas-track-meet-stabbing?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExZnBOaTk0WGRGZ3lvZG9DdHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6_Pm6lQg84nQkevAGfWJCBzEUEHKVAluygAXw4vFtGMjx5LA89x0M_dPt3uw_aem_qHn0rncEB8Yx70Y3M_T7bw