Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after he was convicted of fatally stabbing fellow high school athlete Austin Metcalf during a track meet.
Anthony, 19, learned his fate during a hearing on June 9, 2026, in Collin County. Jurors reached the decision after deliberating for two-and-a-half hours. He will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.
The sentencing came just hours after a jury found Anthony guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Austin, who was 17 years old when he was killed in April 2025. Throughout the trial, Anthony maintained that he acted in self-defense during a confrontation at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Karmelo Anthony and the Deadly Track Meet Confrontation
Anthony and Austin were complete strangers at the time of the altercation. Witnesses told police that the incident began when Austin asked Anthony to move from beneath a tent that was designated for Austin’s track team at the meet, according to a probable cause affidavit viewed by People.
A witness claimed that Anthony responded by reaching into his backpack and saying, “Touch me and see what happens.”
Austin then allegedly touched Anthony and tried to physically move him, which was when Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.
Following the incident, Anthony spoke to a responding officer and allegedly admitted that he stabbed Austin.
“He put his hands on me,” Anthony allegedly said, per the affidavit. “I told him not to.”
Anthony also reportedly yelled that he was “protecting” himself as officers took him into custody. His legal team insisted throughout the trial that he acted in self-defense. Attorney Deric Walpole previously told NBC 5 that he had “no reason to think it wasn’t self-defense.”
Austin Metcalf’s Family Addresses Karemlo Anthony at Sentencing Hearing
During the sentencing hearing, Austin’s mother, Meghan Metcalf, addressed Anthony directly with a powerful victim impact statement.
“You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years, you should feel lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a life without my son,” Meghan said, according to NBC 5.
She went on to describe her son as a “peacemaker” and a “protector,” recalling the final morning they spent together before he was fatally stabbed.
“There was a part of him you can never take from me, the strength I still get from him every day, because I know what it was like to be loved by him,” Meghan said, per the outlet. “My son was murdered. He didn’t just die. He was taken from us. Just as he was starting to live.”
Hunter Metcalf Confronts His Twin Brother’s Killer
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching moment of the sentencing came when Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, directly addressed Anthony with a devastating message.
“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world. You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids,” Hunter emotionally said, according to CBS Texas. “Now I want everything taken from you.”
He continued, “Eventually your name will be forgotten. But my brother’s memory will live on.”
Hunter’s statement underscored the lasting impact of losing his twin — a sibling bond severed in a matter of seconds at what should have been an ordinary high school sporting event.
Jeff Metcalf Demands Eye Contact From His Son’s Killer
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, also delivered a searing statement during the sentencing hearing, demanding that Anthony face him directly.
“We were robbed!” Jeff told Anthony before he directed his son’s killer to make eye contact with him. “Don’t look down!”
Jeff continued, “You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society … You don’t belong in this community. You’re going to prison. I forgave you the day it happened. I don’t forgive what you did. You can’t look me in the eyes but you can stab my f****ing son!”
The raw emotion in the courtroom reflected the depth of grief experienced by a family who lost their son, brother and friend in such a sudden, violent manner.
Karmelo Anthony’s Self-Defense Argument Rejected by Jury
Despite Anthony’s consistent claims that he acted in self-defense, the jury was unconvinced. The prosecution successfully argued that pulling out a knife and stabbing an unarmed teenager in the chest went far beyond any reasonable response to being asked to move from a tent.
The case drew significant national attention given the circumstances — two teenagers who had never met before, a brief verbal exchange that turned physical and a deadly weapon used in what should have been a routine sporting event. Anthony’s decision to bring a knife to a track meet became a focal point of the trial, with prosecutors questioning why a high school athlete needed to be armed at such an event.
While Anthony’s defense team maintained that he genuinely feared for his safety when Austin touched him, the jury ultimately determined that his actions constituted first-degree murder rather than a justified act of self-defense.
With Anthony eligible for parole after serving 17.5 years, he could potentially be released from prison in his mid-30s. However, the Metcalf family’s lives — particularly Hunter’s, who lost his twin — have been irrevocably altered.
As Meghan said in her statement, her sentence of living without her son will far outlast any prison term Anthony serves. The verdict and sentencing bring a measure of legal closure to a case that shocked the Texas high school athletics community, but they do little to ease the grief of a family forever changed by a single, devastating moment at a track meet.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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