A Collin County jury has found 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder following three hours of deliberation on Tuesday. The verdict concludes a trial that drew national attention after Anthony was accused of fatally stabbing fellow student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in April 2025.
Anthony faced a first-degree murder charge for the death of 17-year-old Metcalf at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The jury was tasked with deciding whether Anthony intentionally or knowingly caused Metcalf’s death, whether the evidence supported a lesser charge of manslaughter, or whether he acted in self-defense, as his attorneys argued. With the murder conviction, Anthony faces a potential sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.
The fatal confrontation occurred on April 2, 2025, during a rainy track meet. At the time, Anthony was a student at Centennial High School and Metcalf attended Memorial High School; both were 17 years old. Prosecutors argued the stabbing was an unjustified attack resulting from a dispute over Anthony sitting under a Memorial High School team tent. Defense attorneys contended that physical contact occurred and Anthony believed he was threatened, acting only to protect himself. Anthony was indicted by a Collin County grand jury in June 2025 and had been released on bond prior to the trial.
Over the course of the trial, prosecutors called 21 witnesses before resting their case on Saturday. Several students testified that Anthony was the aggressor and had been asked to leave the team tent before the altercation. Jurors also heard from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, who testified that Metcalf died from a fatal stab wound to the heart.
The defense rested its case on Monday without calling Anthony to testify. Witnesses for the defense testified that it was common practice for athletes from different schools to gather under each other’s tents during track meets. A Frisco police officer testified that the pocketknife Anthony used was legal under Texas state law, though it violated school district policy. Additionally, one of Anthony’s teammates testified that Anthony appeared visibly distraught after the incident and repeatedly stated, “I told him not to touch me.”
The families of both teenagers spoke out during the legal process. Jeff Metcalf, the victim’s father, stated that he believes justice will be served through the court process, while noting that no verdict can bring his son back. Anthony’s family previously asked the public to withhold judgment and stated that they experienced threats and harassment since the stabbing occurred.
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