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A Texas teenager who fatally stabbed a fellow student during a high school track meet in 2025 was found guilty of murder June 9, NBC 5 DFW and Fox 4 reported.Karmelo Anthony, 19, was charged with first-degree murder in the April 2025 death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in Frisco, Texas. Anthony, who attended Centennial High School at the time, has maintained that he stabbed Austin, a student at Memorial High School, in self-defense.Prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors Anthony started the confrontation with Austin in a tent at the track meet, immediately admitted to the stabbing and told bystanders that Metcalf touched him first "as if it justifies the murder he just committed," NBC DFW reported."You don't get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove," Wirskye later said in his closing argument, according to the outlet.Meanwhile, Anthony's attorney, Mike Howard, painted Metcalf and his twin brother as the aggressors, according to NBC DFW. Howard said Anthony warned Austin not to touch him and had a right to defend himself after Austin initiated physical contact."There is no evidence Karmelo did anything but really think he was defending himself in that split second of chaos," Howard said June 9.The case has been marked by controversy, racial tensions and public demonstrations. As the murder trial got underway, supporters of both families gathered outside the courthouse alongside activists and online personalities, highlighting the intense public interest surrounding the proceedings.Judge John Roach Jr. allowed the jury to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter if they could not unanimously agree on the murder charge, WFAA reported. Murder carries a sentence of five years to life in prison and manslaughter is punishable by between two and 20 years.Emotional testimony details shocking stabbingThe trial, which begin with jury selection on June 1, featured at times emotional testimony from eye witnesses and graphic video footage of the chaotic event, CBS News reported. Roach banned cameras, livestreams and audio recording inside the courtroom and imposed a gag order on attorneys, witnesses, investigators and others involved in the proceedings, WFAA reported.Several student athletes, who were not identified publicly, testified that Anthony entered Austin's tent to say hi to a friend and then quickly got defensive when he was asked to leave, according to CBS. Teen witnesses, including one who testified for the defense, agreed that Anthony provoked Austin into pushing him and said they were surprised Anthony brought a weapon to the track meet.Memorial High School head track coach Rob Starr told jurors he heard the commotion begin around 10 a.m. on April 2, 2025 and found Austin with a "hole in his chest."Eduardo Cortez, a school resource officer, testified that when he reported having the "alleged suspect" in handcuffs, Anthony replied, "I'm not alleged, I did it." Cortez said Anthony also asked whether Metcalf would be okay, according to CBS.Tensions rise ahead of trialThe case "struck a deep nerve" in the North Texas community and beyond, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said when announcing the grand jury indictment of Anthony. "When something like this happens at a school event, it shakes people to the core," Willis said.Anthony was allowed to receive his high school diploma but was barred from graduation festivities. Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, accepted a posthumous diploma on his behalf during the May graduation ceremony.Supporters of both families have gathered at the courthouse and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars through online fundraisers.But Anthony's mother, Kala Hayes, said at an April 2025 news conference that her family has also endured harassment, death threats, rumors and the leak of their home and work addresses after the stabbing."Whatever you think that happened between Karmelo and the Metcalf boys, my three younger children, my husband and I didn't do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about," she said.Austin's father, Jeff Metcalf, tried to attend that news conference but was escorted out of the building by Dallas Police, reported Fox 4. The Metcalfs' empty home was "swatted" just hours later when Frisco police received a call about a gunshot at the address, according to local media reports.Metcalf said at a memorial service for his son that he had forgiven Anthony, KDFW-TV reported. After the indictment, he told local media that he was "pleased that we are moving forward" and that "justice will be served," for his son.Meanwhile, the Next Generation Action Network has raised concerns about "double standards" in the case against Anthony and expressed outrage at the jury selection process."The prosecution used its final strikes to remove the remaining qualified Black jurors from the jury pool, raising serious concerns about fairness and equal justice," the group said on social media.Contributing: Anthony Thompson, Melina Khan, Saleen Martin, Jonathan Limehouse and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
