Karmelo Anthony Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for the Fatal Stabbing of Austin Metcalf at Frisco, Texas High School Athletics Event

FRISCO, TX — A Texas teenager has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of murder in a racially polarizing trial that drew national attention to issues of school safety and self-defense laws. Karmelo Anthony, who was 17 years old at the time of the April 2, 2025 incident, was convicted on Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of his classmate, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, during a high school athletics event in the Dallas-area suburb of Frisco. Under Texas state law, 17-year-olds are automatically prosecuted as adults in the criminal justice system.

The trial featured sharply conflicting narratives from the prosecution and defense regarding the nature of the confrontation. Prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, including students who described Anthony as the primary aggressor, and concentrated their evidence heavily on eyewitness accounts of the altercation. The state also introduced emotional testimony from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, who detailed the fatal injuries, stating that a large wound to Metcalf's chest had pierced his heart.

Defense attorneys argued that Anthony acted strictly in self-defense during the encounter. To support their case, the defense called multiple students alongside track coach Adam Linwood, who testified that Anthony was a student leader who had been nominated for the role of team captain. Local media reports from a Dallas-area NBC News affiliate further noted that Anthony maintained a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) and excelled academically prior to his arrest.

The Texas jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning a guilty verdict of murder. Judge Roach provided the jurors with the option to consider a lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but the jury ultimately chose the full murder conviction and a 35-year sentence. Following the verdict, the civil rights organization Next Generation Action Network, which had advocated for Anthony throughout the proceedings, publicly criticized the outcome, noting that the finalized jury panel did not include any Black jurors.