Concerns are escalating regarding the safety of jurors in the Karmelo Anthony case, as a troubling trend gains traction. Across the nation, individuals are being harassed by agitators who wrongfully claim they were part of the jury.

Nineteen-year-old Anthony was convicted of murder and received a 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Texas track meet in 2025.

The case captured national attention, sparking a heated dialogue about racial dynamics, as the murder involved a black defendant and a white victim.

The jury’s decision has sparked intense criticism from Anthony’s advocates, who argue that racial bias influenced the trial outcome, given the absence of black jurors.

In a disturbing twist, a viral trend has emerged online where Anthony’s followers confront random individuals, falsely accusing them of serving on the jury.

One video posted by a user in Jacksonville, Florida, showed a man on a bike confronting another man who appeared to be homeless, sitting on a sidewalk.

The man on the bike said, ‘Hey, wasn’t he on jury selection?’ before hitting the man on the sidewalk.

A woman standing nearby said, ‘No, he wasn’t, seriously, no, he wasn’t,’ and added, ‘He’s a vet, dude.’

Karmelo Anthony (pictured), 19, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 35 years behind bars for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet in 2025

One video posted by a user in Jacksonville, Florida, showed a man on a bike confronting another man and accusing him of being on the jury

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Daily Mail that it is investigating the video.

The Daily Mail contacted the video poster for comment.

Anthony, who was 17 at the time, claimed he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf with a folding knife after a heated argument under a tent.

However, after a nearly weeklong trial, the jury deliberated for just three hours and rejected his claim. Less than 24 hours later, Anthony’s lawyers have already filed a notice appealing the guilty verdict. 

Twelve jurors and six alternates, who were mostly white, with the exception of three Hispanics, two Asians, and two from the Middle East and India, were selected to decide Anthony’s fate. 

During jury selection, defense attorneys raised a Batson challenge, a legal objection used when it is believed potential jurors were struck off because of race, that was rejected by the judge. 

Throughout the trial, racially-charged protests erupted outside the courtroom with Anthony supporters declaring the teenager should ‘walk free.’

Prosecutors eviscerated Anthony’s self-defense claim that Metcalf attacked him first with video evidence and eyewitness testimony.

Anthony, who was 17 at the time, claimed he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf (pictured) with a folding knife after a heated argument under a tent

Witnesses who were in the tent described Anthony as the aggressor, testifying that Anthony told Metcalf, ‘Touch me and see what happens,’ provoking Metcalf to push Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

Prosecutors said Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, rushed to his aid as Anthony ran from the scene and later tried to blend into groups of kids who were exiting the stadium.

Anthony sat motionless in court as police body camera footage from April of last year showed Hunter pleading for help after the stabbing.

Hunter shouted, ‘Oh my God. He’s my best friend. He’s my brother.’

He became hysterical as he begged for help and cried out, ‘I can’t do this.’

At one point, Hunter grew incoherent and seemed to be praying out loud.

Jurors gasped in horror after being shown never-before-seen photos of Metcalf’s punctured heart during the trial.

Metcalf was stabbed once in the chest. The knife pierced through his bone in the center of his chest and punctured the right side of his heart, a medical examiner testified.

While cross-examining the medical examiner, Anthony’s lawyers implied that Metcalf impaled himself on the knife.

After his defense lawyers called on six witnesses who offered underwhelming evidence, Anthony opted not to take the stand.

The California Coastal Commission is on the brink of halting Sable Offshore’s crude oil operations in the Santa Barbara Channel, accusing the company of restarting its pipeline without the necessary state permit.

Kate Huckelbridge, the commission’s Executive Director, addressed Steve Rusch, Sable’s Vice President of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs, stating, “These violations can be settled amicably.”

She further warned, “If such a settlement isn’t achievable, we may have to resolve this violation through unilateral orders proposed at a hearing.”

According to the Santa Barbara News-Press, the commission’s detailed 16-page letter warned Sable of potential penalties “as long as the violation continues.”

While environmental advocates applaud the state’s action, federal authorities had previously instructed the pipeline’s restart to ensure military readiness in light of geopolitical tensions.

The California Post contacted Sable for comment.

The relationship between Sable and California has become increasingly complicated due to a jurisdictional clash over offshore operations in the Santa Barbara Channel, stemming from the catastrophic 2015 Refugio oil spill.

Tensions intensified when President Trump signed an executive order earlier this year allowing the Houston-based company to begin pumping oil through the Santa Barbara coastline. Since then, Sable has found itself at the center of lawsuits involving both California officials and the federal government.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is fighting to stop operations and remove part of Sable’s pipeline to prevent environmental disasters

The Coastal Commission previously hit Sable with an $18 million fine — the largest in the commission’s history — for allegedly ignoring cease-and-desist orders and conducting unpermitted repair work.

Sable is currently facing 21 criminal charges and multiple lawsuits from Santa Barbara County over alleged unpermitted excavations and other violations.

Climate activists have viewed the threat of additional cease-and-desist actions against Sable as a positive development.

“Once again, Sable is being put on notice that they are violating the law,” Linda Krop, chief counsel of the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center (EDC), said in a statement.

“Even after felony criminal charges, multiple attorney general lawsuits, and a historic fine from the Coastal Commission, Sable is now ignoring a new state law requiring a permit for the restart of defunct oil facilities, including the company’s failed pipeline,” Krop said.

The parents of Karmelo Anthony, known as “Killer Karmelo,” have been outspoken in their claims of “injustice” following their son’s murder conviction. In a stark contrast, Jeff Metcalf, the father of Austin Metcalf—the young man Anthony was found guilty of stabbing and killing—has chosen a path of forgiveness for his son’s murderer.

Following the courtroom’s announcement of the verdict on Tuesday, Jeff Metcalf expressed his anger towards Anthony with a heated outburst. Yet, he also displayed a more sorrowful side during an emotional interview with CBS. “I’ll even say this: I had a little bit of sorrow because I’m human; and that poor boy is fixing to experience a life that I would not wish upon anyone,” Metcalf shared, revealing his conflicted feelings about the situation.

The conviction stems from an incident at a high school track meet in April of the previous year, where Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalf during a confrontation. As a result, Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Despite the verdict, Anthony has already initiated an appeal process to contest his conviction.

Recently, Karmelo Anthony was transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Pack Unit near Navasota, Texas. The image of him being escorted to his new place of confinement underscores the gravity of his sentence. (Courtesy of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

Karmelo Anthony is pictured after being transferred to the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and transported to the Pack Unit near Navasota, Texas. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

In another interview with CBS, the Anthonys claim they don’t believe their son got a fair trial.

Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, said, “They did a number on us.”

“We didn’t get justice,” he added. “A lot of things that were missed that should have been handled a certain way; however, we couldn’t say anything. We did what we were instructed. We did what we were told.”

Jeff Metcalf stands with his son Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, who was stabbed in the chest at a track meet, allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)

Following the conviction and throughout the high-profile trial, the Anthonys and the Metcalfs have dealt with constant threats and harassment.

Last August, police responded to 911 calls with the SWAT team showing up to the Metcalfs’ Frisco, Texas, home with guns drawn, CBS reported.

Jeff Metcalf told CBS after the trial that he is still receiving death threats and previously had his personal information released.

Despite the harassment to his family members, Metcalf supporters are still showing up.

People outside Collin County Courthouse react as a verdict is announced in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial in McKinney, Texas, on June 9, 2026. Anthony faces a potential life sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. (AJ Skuy for News Media)

The slain teen’s most recent post to X, in March 2025, days before he was killed, has recently seen a surge in reposts to the platform. “Faith that god got me

While support pours out for Austin, a new fan page for Anthony, “standwithkarmeloanthony,” appears to have been created on Instagram; it has already gained several hundred followers.

An Instagram user with the username v.pperez, which appears to be owned by Anthony’s girlfriend Valeria Perez, has been reportedly promoting the new fan page.

Supporters of Karmelo Anthony appear to have create a fan page on Instagram for the convicted killer. (Instagram / Meta)

News Media has reached out to both the Anthony and Metcalf families.

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A terrifying incident unfolded in Chicago when a van carrying children was smashed by a massive tree as the Midwest continues to endure fierce tornadoes and severe weather conditions.

Michael McIntosh was at the wheel of a van loaded with six children from Riveredge Hospital, situated in the Forest Park suburb, on a Wednesday afternoon.

As McIntosh was about to drop off 11-year-old Ethan Duran at his home on Henderson Street, an enormous tree unexpectedly crashed down on the white Ford van, causing the roof to collapse on the children inside.

“It just bounced on my head and came back up,” McIntosh recounted to CBS Chicago. “I look back, and I just see the kids, and I am like, ‘Let’s get the kids out of here.’”

McIntosh expressed his gratitude multiple times, saying he was “just happy to be alive” following the ordeal.

‘I thought I was dead,’ McIntosh told the outlet.

Ethan said he was glad the tree ‘did not smoosh’ the vehicle or McIntosh would have gotten hurt, but admitted that he was shaken by the traumatic moment.

‘I started crying because I got so scared and my legs started shaking,’ Ethan said.

A white Ford van carrying six kids was crushed by a gigantic tree in Chicago’s Forest Park suburb on Wednesday afternoon as the Midwest faces heavy thunderstorms

Van driver Michael McIntosh said the roof of the van bounced on his head after the tree fell on his vehicle

No injuries were reported after the tree fell onto the vehicle that was transporting six children from Riveredge Hospital

McIntosh claimed the press responded to the fallen tree before an ambulance and the police.

Ethan’s mom, Soledad Galban, described the moment the tree came crashing down as a ‘loud boom.’

Galban said she and her family grabbed all of the kids and rushed them inside her house, from where their respective parents were called.

No injuries were reported from Wednesday’s incident and the downed branches were cleared from the van by neighbors.

Its windshield was shattered, but not broken through by the impact of the tree. 

The storms also caused thousands of customers lost power around the Chicago area on Wednesday.

ComEd reported that more than 5,600 outages were affecting roughly 200,000 customers, according to CBS Chicago.

The electric provider said on X that it expected 80 percent of outages to be restored by 11pm on Saturday based on the ‘history of similar storms of this size.’

Equipment was affected by the downed power lines, broken poles and fallen trees from the storm.

However, it warned that more severe weather on Thursday ‘could create further challenges.’

The thunderstorms also temporarily paralyzed travel in the area, as more than 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed out of O’Hare International Airport, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

As of Thursday morning, more than 5,600 outages were affecting roughly 200,000 customers around the Chicago area, according to ComEd

Severe storms struck the Chicago area on Wednesday. They were expected to continue into Thursday with damaging winds and hail expected, according to the National Weather Service

A tornado was spotted in Unionville, Missouri, on Wednesday, as the Midwest continues to battle severe storms

Wednesday’s storms caused damage to other areas in the Midwest, as well.

In Wisconsin, tornado warnings were issued and about 80,000 people were left without power, according to WBAY.

Heavy rain, winds and hail were reported in the northeast part of the state.

Meanwhile, Northern Missouri saw heavy thunderstorms with intense rain and some hail, KMBC reported.

A tornado was reported near Gallatin, about 270 miles northwest from St. Louis, around 4.35pm local time on Wednesday by the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office.

Central Nebraska saw trees and power lines downed from the damage, per KSNB.

The same held true in Northeast Ohio, where thousands were left without electricity because of the thunderstorms, according to WOIO. 

In Western Minnesota, multiple train cars were derailed from the severe storms which caused wind gusts that topped 70 miles per hour, according to KSTP. 

The potentially dangerous storms were expected to continue today around the Midwest.

The inclement weather conditions also caused more than 1,000 flights to be delayed or canceled out of Chicago’s main airport

The storms wreaked havoc across the Midwest. In Western Minnesota, train cars were derailed by wind gusts that reached more than 70 miles per hour

Ohio was one off the states to see damage from the thunderstorms, with thousands losing power

On Thursday, the National Weather Service’s office in Chicago said that a strong threat of strong tornadoes had increased over the last several hours.

Two waves of ‘severe’ storms were expected, with damaging winds and hail from 11am to 3pm, then 4pm to 11pm.

Gusts up to 60 miles per hour were expected, alongside the possibility of some flash flooding.

A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect for parts of Western and Central Iowa, Northern Missouri, as well as South Central and Eastern Nebraska, the NWS added.

Meanwhile, a tornado watch was still active in Southern and Eastern Iowa, Northern Illinois and far Northern Missouri as of Thursday morning.