Update: Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. A Collin County jury sentenced Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison for the 2025 Frisco track meet murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. It took jurors two-and-a-half hours to come to the decision.
Update: Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murder. The judge will allow the jury to consider a manslaughter charge. Under such a charge, he could be sentenced to from 2 to 20 years.
Prosecutors said Metcalf and Anthony attended different schools and did not know each other before the encounter. Authorities said the confrontation began near a team tent area before Anthony allegedly stabbed Metcalf once in the chest.
Metcalf was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Under a murder guilty verdict, Anthony faced a punishment range of five to 99 years or life in prison. A manslaughter conviction carries a sentence of two and 20 years in prison.
His lawyers could have made a plea deal and didn’t. He killed Austin in cold-blood.
Original Story
No, the title isn’t from a horror movie. It is from a real-life killing. The judge warned the courtroom that the information would be graphic, prompting Metcalf’s family to leave the room. Jurors gasped; several became emotional. One female juror put her hand over her mouth.
Anthony is on trial. He claims that he killed Austin Metcalf in self-defense. However, the evidence does not back him up.
CBS News: The prosecution rested after calling 21 witnesses. All of them felt that Karmelo was provoking them, looking for a fight. Even a friend called by the defense said Austin Metcalf did not want to fight.
The defense then began presenting its case. Some of the most gripping testimony came from the medical examiner. The judge warned the courtroom that the information would be graphic, prompting Metcalf’s family to leave the room. Jurors gasped; several became emotional. One female juror put her hand over her mouth.
All the witnesses gave nearly the exact same testimony: Karmelo was looking for a fight and murdered Austin Metcalf without cause. Austin had given him a slight shove, and after that, Karmelo murdered him.
From the testimony:
The witness Karmelo said, “You’ll have to move me. Also, put his hand on his back. Carmelo’s hand went into the backpack, right at the track meet. I wouldn’t expect anything to be in there.
Carmelo said, “Touch me; you’ll have to move me and find out.” The witness said that he was trying to provoke him.
Prosecutor, then what happens?
Austin puts his hand on him and falls back.
Prosecutor, how is Austin trying to move him? It was trying to move him off his seat, a very soft shove. What did Austin do? I saw a hole in his chest. He starts screaming for help, and then the witness starts crying.
The prosecutor asks the witness, “Who was standing before the incident?” Austin was one who was standing.
Did any kids from Memorial High try to gang up on Karmelo?
No, you’re expecting at most a fist fight? Yes.
After Austin falls, where does Hunter go? Hunter went to help him get up, and that’s when Austin pulled up his shirt and started screaming. He died in his brother’s arms.
Prosecutor, did you think anything was going to happen?
No.
After Austin falls, where does Hunter go? Hunter went to help him get up, and that’s when Austin pulled up his shirt and started screaming. Prosecutor: … What did you see?
As our coach took off his sweatshirt, Austin fell down and looked unconscious after the incident.
Karmelo then ran away.
Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura testified that Metcalf was stabbed through the heart. She described the wound as gaping, two-and-a-half inches in length, and not survivable.
Austin had lifted his shirt, and when he saw the gaping wound, he screamed. His brother grabbed him, and Austin died in his arms.
Witnesses said Karmelo came for a fight, refused to leave, and kept escalating and threatening.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye showed four autopsy photos to the jury.
Several jurors appeared emotional, covering their mouths.
Eighteen-year-old Eddie Parra, a teammate of Metcalf at Memorial High School, also took the stand. Prosecutors asked Parra who he noticed in the tent. “Karmelo was there. I dabbed him up,” Parra said.
Wirskye asked if Parra thought it was weird that Anthony was in the tent.
“Yes, because teams are supposed to be at their own tent,” Parra said.
Parra broke down on the stand when describing the stabbing, saying he noticed blood and a hole in Metcalf’s chest and that Metcalf started screaming for help. The prosecutor asked Parra if the case was about race or self-defense, and Parra said no.
Wirskye then asked who was wrong that day. Parra replied, “Karmelo.”
No one ever tried to gang up on Karmelo, as Karmelo tried to say. It just never happened. There was never any ambush by the Metcalfs. All witnesses agreed.
Metcalf was simply enforcing the rules, which he usually did. He was there, “always protecting us,” witnesses said.
No witness felt Karmelo had a reason to become violent.
It sounds like first-degree murder, and he needs to be taken off the streets.
