Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty of Austin Metcalf Murder in Fatal Stabbing as Jurors Take Less Than an Hour to Debunk His Self-Defense Claim

Karmelo Anthony was swiftly convicted of murder on Tuesday in the widely followed case involving the fatal stabbing of fellow high school athlete Austin Metcalf, a verdict that could result in him spending the rest of his life in prison. This came after Anthony’s lawyers argued on Tuesday that Metcalf died because of his own mistakes and the suspect was innocent.

After roughly three hours of deliberation, a Collin County jury found the 19-year-old guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the April 2, 2025, incident at a track and field meet in Frisco. The wild confrontation, which prosecutors said stemmed from a disagreement over seating, ended in Metcalf’s death.

No More Excuses

The decision followed four days of often emotional and deeply disturbing testimony. Some of the graphic details presented in court visibly unsettled jurors, while members of Metcalf’s family were at times forced to leave the courtroom as the painful evidence was revealed.

Sympathizers of the killer sought to frame the high-profile case as an issue of race, arguing that Metcalf was merely a white bully who targeted Anthony, who is Black. Meanwhile, Anthony’s legal defense received substantial support, raising more than $690,000.

The jury, which did not include a single Black juror, heard testimony from students and coaches who were present at Kuykendall Stadium when the deadly confrontation unfolded. Medics, school officials and law enforcement officers who responded to the scene also took the stand during the trial.

Anthony’s defense largely centered on the claim that he acted in self-defense, though he chose not to testify and did not personally share his version of events with the jury.

Legal experts said that decision may have hurt his chances of securing an acquittal.

Jurors also had the option of convicting him on the lesser charge of manslaughter but ultimately found him guilty of the more serious offense.

Meanwhile, Metcalf’s teammates testified that the confrontation began when Metcalf, a student at Frisco Memorial High School, asked Anthony, then a 17-year-old student at Frisco Centennial High School, to move away from the Memorial team’s tent.

Justice Received Finally

Anthony refused to leave the bleacher area where the rival team’s tent had been set up, despite being asked about 15 times by Metcalf and others to move, according to testimony. As the confrontation intensified, witnesses said Anthony warned Metcalf, “Touch me and find out,” while keeping his hand inside his backpack as if prepared to retrieve something.

Metcalf eventually shoved Anthony, at which point Anthony pulled a semi-serrated folding knife from his bag and stabbed the victim once in the chest, jurors heard during the trial.

Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, along with others nearby, rushed to help the critically injured student. Meanwhile, Anthony threw away the knife and headed toward the exit before being stopped by coaches, according to testimony presented in court.

Anthony told the coaches that he had warned Metcalf not to touch him and admitted that he carried out the stabbing, but maintained that he acted in self-defense.

A classmate of Anthony testified Monday that he appeared “distraught” in the moments after the attack, saying he was crying and hugging a coach. The trial included graphic testimony and disturbing images that visibly affected jurors, including autopsy photos showing Metcalf’s 2-inch wound and the injury to his heart.

Metcalf’s family left the courtroom while that evidence was presented and became emotional at several points during the proceedings, including when a coach broke down on the witness stand while recalling Austin’s death.

Anthony will be sentenced by the judge.