Karmelo Anthony has been convicted of murder for the deadly stabbing of Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet.
The courtroom was filled with gasps as a 35-year prison sentence was pronounced on Tuesday evening.
Earlier that day, the jury had already found Anthony guilty of murder for the death of Metcalf, which occurred in 2025.
Following the announcement of the lengthy sentence, two women were removed from the courtroom after declaring, “We love you Karmelo!”
This outburst came despite the judge’s prior warning that any emotional reactions would result in removal from the courtroom.
At just 19 years old, Anthony broke down in tears as the judge delivered the guilty verdict, while his family was visibly emotional. His mother had previously pleaded for leniency from the jury before the sentencing.
Jurors were then presented with arguments from the defense and prosecution before being sent out to deliberate on the length of his punishment.
Anthony was originally warned he faced between five and 99 years behind bars for knifing Metcalf, 17, at the track event in Frisco, Texas, last year.
But after the verdict was passed at the Collin County courthouse on Tuesday, prosecutors agreed to consider ‘sudden passion’ as a factor when determining Anthony’s sentence.
This is a legal term that allows a criminal to argue they were in an intense emotional state when they committed wrongdoing. It would have reduced Anthony’s murder to a second-degree felony.
Roach ultimately decided to rule against the sudden passion application and gave jurors the power to put Anthony behind bars for the rest of his life.
Karmelo Anthony (above) was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Texas last year. Now jurors must decide his sentence
Metcalf (above), 17, died after Anthony stabbed him with a folding knife last April
An Austin Metcalf supporter holds a sign in front of the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was reached in the Karmelo Anthony trial on Tuesday in McKinney, Texas
The murder case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding the killing of a white teenager by a black peer quickly became racially fraught.
Anthony, who was 17 at the time, claimed he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf with a folding knife after a heated argument under a tent.
His mother, Kala Hayes, begged the jury to go easy on her son as the jury prepared to determine the length of his punishment.
‘He’s my oldest. He’s my firstborn. He will always be my baby. I love him very much,’ she said through tears.
‘I know my son, and he’s very sorry for what he did. Please have mercy on my son.’
The jury deliberated for less than three hours on Tuesday before passing its guilty verdict after the defense and prosecution delivered closing arguments.
Anthony’s lawyers then asked for a private moment with the killer, which was quickly shot down by the judge.
The judge responded that Anthony has been found guilty and is now in the sheriff’s custody. ‘Things move differently now,’ he said.
During closing arguments, prosecutors eviscerated Anthony’s self-defense claim that Metcalf attacked him first and encouraged jurors to find him guilty of murder.
‘What is important is not motive. It’s mindset. Mindset. He took a knife to a track meet,’ Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye said.
‘[Anthony] of course, felt empowered that he was going to come out on top of any encounter. You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove.’
Wirskye added, ‘Why didn’t he just walk away. He could have left the tent at any time. He didn’t. He didn’t abandon the encounter.’
‘The video tells the story, supported by the eyewitnesses and corroborated by the defendant’s actions and words,’ Wirskye said.
Anthony’s defense attorney, Mike Howard, claimed Metcalf had ‘no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.’
‘Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,’ Howard said. ‘In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.’
He also argued that Anthony, who was a student at Centennial High School, was invited to the Memorial High School tent by a fellow student, despite there being no evidence of that.
Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that he had been invited over to the tent where the altercation happened, despite there being no evidence of that
While quizzing the medical examiner, Anthony’s lawyers implied that Metcalf impaled himself on the knife
A person walks around announcing the guilty verdict in the Karmelo Anthony trial in front of the Collin County courthouse on Tuesday
Karmelo Anthony supporters voice their opinions in front of the Collin County courthouse
‘Why would he pick a fight with a kid that’s bigger than him?’ Howard said. ‘Austin and Anthony had never met before. There’s no background.’
He continued, ‘It’s not about race. As much as people on the outside want to make it about that, one or the other. It’s not.’
Over the course of the nearly weeklong trial, jurors were presented with witness testimony from students, coaches and investigators, as well as surveillance footage of the altercation.
Witnesses who were in the tent described Anthony as the aggressor, testifying that Anthony told Metcalf, ‘Touch me and see what happens,’ provoking Metcalf to push Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.
Prosecutors said Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, rushed to his aid as Anthony ran from the scene and later tried to blend into groups of kids who were fleeing the stadium.
Anthony sat motionless in court as police body camera footage from April last year showed Hunter pleading for help after the stabbing.
Hunter shouted, ‘Oh my God. He’s my best friend. He’s my brother.’
He became hysterical as he begged for help and cried out, ‘I can’t do this.’
At one point, Hunter grew incoherent and seemed to be praying out loud.
Jurors gasped in horror after being shown never-before-seen photos of Metcalf’s punctured heart during the trial.
The case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding it quickly became racially fraught. Anthony’s supporters claim he was treated unfairly because he is black
Witnesses who were in the tent described Anthony as the aggressor, testifying that Anthony told Metcalf, ‘Touch me and see what happens’
Supporters for the murdered teen gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the verdict
An emotional Karmelo Anthony supporter is consoled by another outside the courthouse
Supporters for Anthony leant on one another as the guilty verdict was announced
Metcalf was stabbed once in the chest. The knife pierced through his bone in the center of his chest and punctured the right side of his heart, a medical examiner testified.
While cross-examining the medical examiner, Anthony’s lawyers implied that Metcalf impaled himself on the knife.
After his defense lawyers called on six witnesses who offered underwhelming evidence, Anthony opted not to take the stand.
In Texas, defendants have the right to ask a jury to determine their punishment.
It meant that jurors were able to hear evidence from prosecutors and defense attorneys before deciding the sentence.
Anthony’s supporters have claimed he had been treated unfairly because he is black, while critics said those allegations were used to try and distract from the crime.
Twelve jurors and six alternates, who are mostly white, with the exception of three Hispanics, two Asians, and two from the Middle East and India, were selected to decide Anthony’s fate.
During jury selection, defense attorneys raised a Batson challenge: a legal objection used when it is believed potential jurors were struck off because of race.
The challenge and jury selection may come into question for possible appeals later in the trial.
