A young man from Texas has been found guilty of murder in a case that captured the nation’s attention, far beyond the bustling Dallas suburb of McKinney, where the tragic incident took place. The teenager was convicted for the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old track athlete from a competing team during a meet.
The jury dismissed Karmelo Anthony’s claims of acting in self-defense during his confrontation with Austin Metcalf in the stadium bleachers last year. Now 19, Anthony chose not to take the stand. Most of the testimonies came from students who recounted a tense argument over Anthony’s refusal to vacate a tent belonging to Metcalf’s team amidst a rainy event.
With his conviction, Anthony now faces a potential life sentence.
The trial, held in Collin County, attracted numerous spectators eager to witness the proceedings, all under stringent security measures. The two students were from different high schools in Frisco, a rapidly expanding Texas city known for its state-of-the-art educational institutions and sports facilities.
During the trial, several students testified that Metcalf had told Anthony to leave his team’s tent, which led to a mocking exchange before Anthony reached into a bag and brandished a knife.
One teenage witness recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, “You don’t have anything in that backpack. It’s Frisco.”
Outside attention on the case spread, in part, over social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.
Instead, prosecutor Bill Wirskye called the stabbing a “sneak, surprise attack” and accused Anthony of egging on the confrontation. Mike Howard, an attorney for Anthony, said his client acted in a “split second of fear, chaos” after Metcalf made the first physical contact.
The stabbing happened on a rainy morning in April 2025. Teenage witnesses said the confrontation began after Anthony sat under a tent belonging to the track team of Memorial High School, where Metcalf was in his junior year.
Other students competing at the meet testified that several athletes told Anthony to leave the tent and that he was the aggressor. When Metcalf told Anthony he needed to move, Anthony 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.
One teammate told jurors that Anthony was “distraught” after the stabbing. Judge John Roach Jr. ordered that the names of teenage witnesses not be made public.
“I was hearing him say, ‘I told him not to touch me,’” the teenager said.
The parents of both Anthony and Metcalf have said they were good students who planned to go to college.
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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
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