A Collin County jury convicted Karmelo Anthony on Tuesday, June 10, of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf — and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The verdict came in less than three hours.
Both Anthony and Metcalf were 17 when the killing happened on April 2, 2025, at a Dallas-area high school athletics event. Anthony was charged as an adult under Texas law.
Prosecutors argued Anthony threatened Metcalf before intentionally stabbing him. The defense countered that Anthony acted in self-defense. Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura testified that the knife pierced Metcalf’s heart, leaving a large, gaping wound in his chest — one of the most emotional moments of the trial.
The trial
Prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, leaning on eyewitness accounts from students who described Anthony as the aggressor. The defense called its own student witnesses and track coach Adam Linwood, who testified that Anthony had been nominated for team captain.
A Dallas-area NBC News affiliate reported Anthony carried near-perfect grades — a 4.0 GPA. His attorneys didn’t dispute the killing; the fight was over whether it was murder or self-defense.
The racially polarizing case drew national attention and ignited a wider debate about self-defense claims and school safety. The civil rights organization Next Generation Action Network was among those who weighed in publicly during the proceedings.
Anthony’s sentencing leaves him behind bars well into his 50s. No appeals had been announced as of Tuesday.
Reporting from BBC News, published June 10, 2026. Read the original report.
