Karmelo Anthony filed a notice of appeal Wednesday, just one day 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 track meet last year. Anthony’s legal team also submitted paperwork declaring he cannot afford private counsel and requesting a court-appointed attorney for the appeal.
The 19-year-old was convicted and sentenced Tuesday following a high-profile trial in McKinney. Jurors deliberated for about three hours before finding Anthony guilty of murder in the April 2025 incident at David Kuykendall Stadium. They rejected the defense’s arguments of self-defense and sudden passion. Anthony was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and later transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for intake and assignment to a prison unit.
The filing of a notice of appeal is a standard first step in challenging a conviction and sentence in Texas. Anthony has been assigned court-appointed appellate counsel. His trial attorneys, Mike Howard and Toby Shook, have not publicly detailed the specific grounds for appeal.
The case drew significant community attention in Frisco and across North Texas, with both families and supporters present throughout the proceedings. No additional incidents were reported following the sentencing.
The appeal will now move forward in the higher courts while Anthony begins serving his sentence at a state prison facility.
