A Collin County jury sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. The deadly confrontation occurred at a Frisco ISD track meet when Metcalf confronted Anthony for taking shelter from a rainstorm under Memorial High School’s team tent. The trial captured immense national attention due to the debate over self-defense and the racial dynamics of the case, as Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white.
Immediately following the sentencing on June 9, 2026, chaotic protests and scuffles erupted outside the McKinney, Texas courthouse. Demonstrators clashing with police wore shirts that read “We Declare He Is Free” and loudly chanted “self-defense is not a crime” in direct protest of the jury’s decision. Video footage captured the scenes as law enforcement attempted to manage the crowds on the courthouse steps.
Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, delivered an emotional impact statement directly to Anthony after the sentence, stating that Anthony had failed his parents, himself, and society. Meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign set up by Anthony’s family on GiveSendGo has continued to accept donations even after the murder conviction, surpassing $626,000 and drawing intense public backlash against the platform.
Under Texas state law, Anthony was tried as an adult despite being 17 at the time of the incident. During the punishment phase, the jury formally rejected the defense’s claim of “sudden passion,” a legal designation that would have reduced the conviction to a second-degree felony carrying a lighter sentence of 2 to 20 years. Detailed accounts of the Karmelo Anthony case verdict confirm the final 35-year terms handed down by the jury panel.