Nineteen-year-old Karmelo Anthony woke up behind bars Wednesday morning after a Collin County jury convicted him of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco high school track meet last year.
The verdict and sentence came Tuesday evening at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney following a week-long trial that drew national attention. Jurors deliberated for about three hours before finding Anthony guilty of first-degree murder in the April 2, 2025, incident at David Kuykendall Stadium.
They then sentenced him to 35 years after rejecting the defense’s claim of sudden passion, which could have reduced the punishment range. Anthony, who was 17 at the time and tried as an adult, becomes eligible for parole after serving half his sentence.
Prosecutors described the stabbing as a senseless act during a rain delay at the Frisco ISD track meet. Witnesses testified that Anthony, a Centennial High School student, entered the Memorial High School tent and refused repeated requests to leave.
A confrontation escalated when Metcalf, a Memorial student-athlete, pushed him, leading Anthony to stab Metcalf once in the chest with a pocket knife. Metcalf was pronounced dead at a hospital. Anthony fled the scene but later told a coach he acted after being touched.
The case sparked intense public interest, with protests and clashes outside the courthouse involving supporters of both sides.
Victim impact statements from Metcalf’s family highlighted their profound loss, with his mother noting she received a “lifetime sentence” without her son and his father expressing raw grief and rage.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis addressed the outcome alongside the Metcalf family, thanking the jury and emphasizing that violence in schools will not be tolerated.
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