A jury in McKinney, Texas, has reached a verdict in the case of Karmelo Anthony, a 19-year-old who was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. The tragic incident occurred during a high school track meet, leaving a community reeling from the unexpected violence.
During the trial, which captivated the attention of many due to its focus on youth and the tragic events at a community sports event, prosecutor Bill Wirskye described the stabbing as “murder, plain and simple.” His statement came as the jury prepared to deliberate on the high-profile case.
Karmelo Anthony, who chose not to testify in his own defense, was involved in the fatal incident with Austin Metcalf back in April 2025. The case drew significant attention in Frisco, a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas, where both young men attended separate high schools.
Throughout the proceedings, the jury listened to contrasting arguments. Prosecutor Wirskye presented a narrative of intentional violence, while defense attorney Mike Howard argued that Anthony was acting in self-defense. Howard claimed that Metcalf attempted to forcibly remove Anthony, who was a student at Centennial High School, from the Memorial High School track team’s tent.
Howard emphasized to the jury that Metcalf had “no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo,” presenting this point as a critical aspect of Anthony’s defense. Despite these arguments, the jury ultimately sided with the prosecution, leading to Anthony’s conviction.
“Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,” Howard said. “In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.”
During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors have said that Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses have testified that Anthony was the aggressor.
“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder plain and simple,” Wirskye told jurors Tuesday.
The courtroom at the Collin County courthouse was packed again as the public passed through an extra security checkpoint to get inside and watch before jurors began their deliberations.
Several schools were competing on a rainy April day when Anthony sat under the Memorial High’s tent that was perched in the bleachers. Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.
Anthony at one point reached inside a bag and replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.
Metcalf then pushed Anthony, according to witnesses, who said Anthony reacted by pulling out a knife and stabbing Metcalf in the chest.
“You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,” Wirskye said.
He said deadly force has to be “immediately necessary” to be legal and that Anthony could have walked away and abandoned “the encounter that he’d provoked.”
Wirskye also made a broader pitch to the jury: “Ultimately, this case is about accountability. What kind of community do you want to live in.”
Howard noted that Metcalf and Anthony did not know each other. He said Anthony “had absolutely no motive, other than that he felt he was in danger.”
Anthony could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder. Judge John Roach Jr. said the jury also could consider a lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
If jurors don’t reach a verdict Tuesday, they’ll be sequestered without phones in a hotel.
One teammate told jurors that Anthony was “distraught” after the stabbing.
“I was hearing him say, ‘I told him not to touch me,’” the teenager testified Monday.
The judge ordered that the names of teenage witnesses not be made public.
The stabbing quickly drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors during the trial that race had nothing to do with the case.
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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.