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A Collin County jury has found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Memorial High School student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.
Anthony broke down in tears and was shaking as the verdict was read, and he was immediately taken into custody. The case immediately moved into the sentencing phase, with Anthony’s mother taking the stand to implore the judge to impose a lenient punishment.
“Please have mercy on my son,” Kayla Hays said as mascara stains could be seen streaking her tear-soaked cheeks.
“He’s my oldest, my first born, my baby, I love him very much,” she said.
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Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, was in the courtroom room for the first time. Metcalf’s mother was crying and hugging supporters.
The verdict followed days of emotional testimony from student athletes, police officers, forensic experts and coaches who described the confrontation that ended with Metcalf’s death at Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025.
The verdict was reached just three hours after jurors were sent to deliberate following closing arguments Tuesday and carries a maximum sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison.
Anthony, who was 17 at the time, admitted he stabbed Metcalf but claimed he acted in self-defense.
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As the verdict was being read, more than one hundred protesters – split between supporters of Metcalf and Anthony – descended on the courthouse, and at least one protester was taken into custody after a fight broke out in response to the guilty verdict.
Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, said on “The Story” after the verdict was announced Tuesday that she does not think Anthony will be sentenced to the maximum.
Anthony is likely to get at least 20 years in prison, she said, but “I’m just not so sure we’re going to hear a life sentence here.”
She said she expects the defense to try to humanize Anthony during the sentencing phase.
“One way or another,” she added, “Austin Metcalf is never coming back.”
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What happened at the track meet
At the center of the case was a confrontation that unfolded beneath a Memorial High School team tent during a rainy track meet attended by schools from across North Texas.
According to trial testimony, Anthony, a student from a different school, sat beneath the Memorial tent shortly before the confrontation began. Several student athletes testified that they questioned why he was there and repeatedly asked him to leave.
Witnesses told jurors that Austin Metcalf eventually approached Anthony and asked him to move. One student testified that Anthony was asked to leave roughly 15 times. Multiple witnesses recalled Anthony responding with statements such as, “Touch me and you’ll find out” and “If you want me to move, you have to move me.”
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Several students testified that Anthony became increasingly aggressive as the exchange continued. One witness told jurors it appeared Anthony was provoking Metcalf, while another testified it looked like Anthony was “looking for a fight.” Multiple witnesses said they did not believe Metcalf wanted to fight, with one recalling Metcalf saying, “I’m not going to fight you at a track meet.”
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Witnesses also repeatedly referenced Anthony keeping one hand inside his backpack during the exchange. Several students testified they believed Anthony was bluffing when he suggested he had something in the bag.
The confrontation turned physical moments later. Witnesses gave differing accounts about exactly how Metcalf touched Anthony before the stabbing, with some describing a shove and others describing a grab. Testimony also varied on whether Metcalf used one hand or two.
Anthony then stabbed Metcalf in the chest, according to testimony.
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Several students said they initially believed Anthony was bluffing. One witness testified that he did not realize Metcalf had been stabbed until he saw Anthony throw an object into the bleachers. Another recalled hearing Metcalf say, “Oh my God.”
The prosecution’s case
Prosecutors argued that Anthony escalated a verbal disagreement into a deadly encounter by pulling a knife from his backpack and stabbing an unarmed teenager.
To support that argument, prosecutors called 21 witnesses, including students who witnessed the confrontation, investigators who processed the crime scene and the medical examiner who performed Metcalf’s autopsy.
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Several student witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor and that the stabbing did not appear to be an act of self-defense.
One witness testified that no one attempted to gang up on Anthony and described the physical contact before the stabbing as “minor pushing at most.” Another witness testified that Anthony appeared to be “looking for a fight.”
Jurors also heard testimony that Anthony told an officer after the stabbing, “I’m not alleged, I did it. He put his hands on me. I told him not to.”
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The medical examiner’s testimony was among the most difficult moments of the trial. Metcalf’s family left the courtroom while autopsy photographs were shown to the jury and his injuries were described in detail.
The defense’s case
Defense attorneys argued that Anthony acted in self-defense after being confronted by a larger student and physically touched during the dispute.
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys emphasized that Anthony was seated for much of the confrontation while Metcalf and other students were standing nearby. Testimony indicated Metcalf outweighed Anthony by roughly 50 to 60 pounds.
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Defense attorneys also highlighted inconsistencies among witness accounts regarding where students were positioned, how many hands Metcalf used when touching Anthony and who was standing nearby at the time of the confrontation.
Anthony’s track coach testified that athletes from different schools routinely mingle at track meets and said his team lacked enough volunteers to set up a tent that day. He acknowledged, however, that students should leave if asked to leave another team’s tent.
One of Anthony’s friends testified that he had previously spent time under tents belonging to other schools without issue but said he would leave if asked.
Defense witnesses also pointed to testimony that another student under the tent knew Anthony and greeted him when he arrived.
After the prosecution rested its case, defense attorneys moved for a directed verdict, arguing prosecutors had failed to prove their case. The judge denied the motion.
The emotional toll
The trial frequently shifted from legal arguments to raw emotion.
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Several teenage witnesses became emotional while recounting the events of April 2, 2025. One testified while holding a football because it helped calm his nerves. Another gripped a yellow stress ball throughout his testimony.
That witness, a football player and track athlete, told jurors that his father had recently been murdered in California. He described Metcalf as a football captain and mentor who believed in him.
A recent Liberty High School graduate became emotional while recalling seeing Metcalf bleeding after the stabbing.
Witnesses repeatedly described Metcalf as a leader, teammate and role model.
One student testified that Metcalf was “always leading” and “always protecting us.”
Another recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, “I’m not going to fight you at a track meet.”
The trial also brought renewed attention to the devastation suffered by the Metcalf family.
Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, witnessed the stabbing and was with Austin in his final moments.
Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has repeatedly spoken publicly about losing his son.
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“Austin was the light of my life,” Metcalf previously told Fox News.
Metcalf said his son died in Hunter’s arms.
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“This person made a bad choice and affected both his family and my family forever,” he said.
Despite the tragedy, Metcalf publicly expressed forgiveness toward Anthony.
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“People ask me, how can you forgive this other person?” Metcalf told Fox News. “I forgive the other person because the forgiveness is not for him. The forgiveness is for me so I can have peace. His life is destroyed. My life is destroyed.”
National attention and courthouse demonstrations
The case drew national attention in the months leading up to trial, fueled by public debate over Anthony’s self-defense claim, questions surrounding race and demonstrations organized by supporters of both families.
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The attention surrounding the case extended beyond the courtroom and often played out outside the Collin County courthouse.
Throughout the trial, a small group of Anthony supporters gathered outside carrying signs reading “Justice for Karmelo Anthony.” At times, supporters chanted and held demonstrations in the courthouse parking lot. While tensions occasionally flared between supporters and passersby, no major confrontations were reported.
On the day the jury was expected to begin deliberations, Dominique Alexander and the Next Generation Action Network, the activist group that has publicly supported Anthony’s family since shortly after the stabbing, held a news conference outside the courthouse urging supporters to remain peaceful and respect the judicial process.
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In a statement, the organization warned against individuals it described as seeking to provoke confrontations and called for demonstrations to remain focused on “justice, fairness, due process, and equal protection under the law.”
The group also condemned threats, political violence and extremist rhetoric directed at anyone connected to the case, including Anthony, his family, supporters, journalists and court personnel.
The demonstrations reflected the national attention the case attracted, with supporters and critics debating Anthony’s self-defense claim, the role race played in public reaction to the case and broader questions about justice and accountability.
Meanwhile, Metcalf’s family repeatedly urged the public to focus on Austin’s life and the facts presented in court.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor, Lindsey Reese, Peter Cuddihy, Reagan Schroeder, and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
