A Collin County jury has sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison for the 2025 murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
The verdict, delivered Tuesday, followed a weeklong trial that drew national attention due to the racial dynamics of the case – Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white – and the lack of Black jurors.
The incident occurred during an April 2025 track meet in Frisco when a dispute over seating under a tent escalated.
Prosecutors successfully argued that Anthony, then 17, provoked the encounter, noting that witnesses heard him reach into a bag and warn Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens” before stabbing him.
The defense argued Anthony acted in self-defense claiming he felt terror in the moment.
During the sentencing phase, Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes, begged for mercy, telling the jury, “He’s my oldest, he’s my first born, he will always be my baby. I love him very much.”
When asked if her son felt remorse, she added, “Yes, I know my son. He’s very sorry for what he did.”
Prosecutors countered by emphasizing the victim’s lost future, stating, “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.”
