Texas Jury Convicts Karmelo Anthony of Murder in Track Meet Stabbing

A Texas jury convicted Karmelo Anthony of murder on Tuesday for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf during a track and field meet in Frisco. The jury rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim after hearing testimony that the confrontation began when Metcalf ordered Anthony to leave a tent belonging to Metcalf’s team.

Witnesses described a heated exchange that escalated when Metcalf pushed Anthony, who then pulled a knife from a bag and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.

Anthony, now 19, was 18 at the time of the April 2, 2025, stabbing. Metcalf was 17. The incident occurred on a rainy morning at a Frisco Independent School District stadium. Anthony and Metcalf attended separate high schools in Frisco, one of Texas’ fastest-growing cities.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye called the stabbing a “sneak, surprise attack” and accused Anthony of egging on the confrontation. Defense attorney Mike Howard said Anthony acted in a “split second of fear, chaos” after Metcalf made the first physical contact. Anthony did not testify.

Most witnesses who testified were students. ” Another recalled Metcalf telling Anthony, “You don’t have anything in that backpack. ” A teammate testified that Anthony was “distraught” after the stabbing.

According to a police report from April 2025, Anthony replied “Touch me and see what happens” when told to move. Judge John Roach Jr. ordered that the names of teenage witnesses not be made public. The trial was held in Collin County under heavy courthouse security.

Spectators lined up hoping to find seats in the gallery. Both sets of parents described their sons as good students who planned to attend college. Prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

Outside attention on the case spread over social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Anthony faces up to life in prison at sentencing.