A Texas jury has found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet.

At the age of 19, Anthony broke down in tears, joined by his emotional family, as the judge delivered the verdict on Tuesday. The sentencing range for his conviction spans from five to 99 years in prison.

In a heartfelt appeal, his mother, Kala Hayes, urged the jury to show leniency as they deliberate his sentence.

“He’s my oldest, my firstborn. He will always be my baby. I love him very much,” she expressed through tears.

“I know my son, and he deeply regrets his actions. Please have mercy on him,” she pleaded.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours after the defense and prosecution delivered closing arguments.

Anthony claimed he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf, 17, with a folding knife after a heated argument at the high school event in Frisco in April 2025.

The case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding the killing of a white teen by a black peer quickly became racially fraught.

A verdict has been reached in Karmelo Anthony’s (pictured) murder trial over the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Texas high school track meet

Anthony, now 19, claimed he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf (pictured), 17, with a folding knife after a heated argument

During closing arguments, prosecutors eviscerated Anthony’s self-defense claim and encouraged jurors to find him guilty of murder.

‘What is important is not motive. It’s mindset. Mindset. He took a knife to a track meet,’ Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye said.

‘[Anthony] of course, felt empowered that he was going to come out on top of any encounter. You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove.’

Wirskye added, ‘Why didn’t he just walk away. He could have left the tent at any time. He didn’t. He didn’t abandon the encounter.’

‘The video tells the story, supported by the eyewitnesses and corroborated by the defendant’s actions and words,’ Wirskye said.

Anthony’s defense attorney, Mike Howard, claimed Metcalf had ‘no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.’

‘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.’

He also argued that Anthony, who was a student at Centennial High School, was invited over to the Memorial High School tent by a fellow student, despite there being no evidence of that.

Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense and had been invited over to the tent despite there being no evidence of that

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

‘Why would he pick a fight with a kid that’s bigger than him?’ Howard said. ‘Austin and Anthony had never met before. There’s no background.’

He continued, ‘It’s not about race. As much as people on the outside want to make it about that, one or the other. It’s not.’

Over the course of the nearly weeklong trial, jurors were presented with eyewitness testimony from students, coaches and investigators, as well as surveillance footage of the altercation.

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 fleeing the stadium.

Anthony sat motionless in court as police body camera footage 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.

The case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding it quickly became racially fraught. Anthony’s supporters claim he was treated unfairly because he is black

Witnesses who were in the tent described Anthony as the aggressor, testifying that Anthony told Metcalf, ‘Touch me and see what happens’

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 six witnesses to the stand who offered underwhelming evidence, Anthony opted not to take the stand.

In Texas, defendants have the right to ask a jury to determine their punishment, meaning jurors will be presented with evidence from prosecutors and defense attorneys and then decide the sentence.

Anthony’s supporters have claimed he had been treated unfairly because he is black, while critics said those allegations were used to try and distract from the horrific crime.

Twelve jurors and six alternates, who are mostly white, with the exception of three Hispanic people, two Asian people, and two from the Middle East and India, were selected to decided 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.

The challenge and jury selection may come into question for possible appeals later in the trial.

This is a developing story. 

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.

The memory of Victor Wembanyama’s controversial play in Game 3 remains fresh in the minds of the New York Knicks. During the first quarter of the San Antonio Spurs’ triumph at Madison Square Garden, Wembanyama was seen sending Jalen Brunson to the hardwood. Surprisingly, the referees chose not to blow the whistle.

Jose Alvarado, the spirited backup guard hailing from Brooklyn, didn’t mince his words on Tuesday. “I think that’s not basketball,” he asserted. “That’s something they gotta look at. But he got away with one. That’ll be the last one.”

The NBA has the authority to review and possibly reclassify the incident as a flagrant foul after the fact. However, as of Tuesday afternoon, no such decision had been made.

Wembanyama is no stranger to scrutiny this postseason. Earlier, he was hit with a flagrant two foul for a similar aggressive move against the Timberwolves when he elbowed Minnesota forward Naz Reid in the throat, which added two penalty points to his record.

Wembanyama was already assessed a flagrant two foul earlier in the postseason against the Timberwolves for throwing an elbow at the throat of Minnesota forward Naz Reid, giving him two penalty points.

Four points triggers an immediate one-game suspension. So if he was retroactively assessed a flagrant one — that is one penalty point — he would have to be careful to avoid missing a game in the Finals.

Brunson has not directly commented on the play. When asked about it after Game 3, he said: “Whatever you saw is what you saw.”