Texas teen Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murdering a fellow athlete at a track meet in 2025

Karmelo Anthony/YouTube screenshot

Karmelo Anthony, a teenager from Frisco, Texas, was convicted of murder after stabbing and killing a fellow athlete, Austin Metcalf, during a high school track meet in April 2025. The teen maintained that he had no intentions to kill the fellow athlete, but was defending himself. Texas is a "stand your ground state," provided that one did not provoke an attack, and is not engaged in criminal activity.

Both Karmelo and Austin were 17 years old at the time of the incident. Karmelo ran track for Centennial High School, while Austin attended Memorial High School.

On the day of the tragedy, reports indicate that Karmelo’s team did not have a tent at the meet, and it began raining. A witness testified that Karmelo was invited to sit under Memorial's tent by one of Metcalf’s teammates, Eddie Parra who also ran track for Memorial High. An unnamed student from Memorial High also testified to seeing Parra and Anthony shake hands before Karmelo sat down, and they engaged in conversation.

According to the student, Metcalf's twin brother initially took issue with Anthony being under the tent and confronted him. Although the athletes were not previously acquainted, they allegedly exchanged words after Metcalf became defensive about an outsider being in the team's tent, according to the witness. During trial, Eddie described Metcalf as "always leading… always protecting us."

The Metcalf brothers

After a series of back-and-forth exchanges with the Memorial High team, Anthony reportedly warned Metcalf not to "touch" him. Despite the warning, Metcalf initiated physical contact with Karmelo, which prompted Anthony to stab him with a short folding knife he kept on his person. Metcalf lost consciousness and later died. During his arrest, Anthony reportedly admitted, "I’m not alleged, I did it. He put his hands on me."

The trial, which concluded this week, attracted significant media attention, social outrage, and scrutiny after Anthony was found guilty of murder, instead of lesser charges. Critics have noted that Texas is a "stand your ground" state, which allows individuals to defend themselves without having to retreat.

Concerns were also raised about the jury selection process, as there were no Black jurors or other minority jurors involved in the trial. Reports indicate that three potential Black female jurors were struck from the jury, which has been deemed unconstitutional under the Batson law, which prohibits the consideration of race, ethnicity, or gender when eliminating potential jurors.

Racial tension outside the trial/YouTube screenshot

Furthermore, the court rejected the request for a "sudden passion" sentence, which would have reduced Anthony’s sentence to a maximum of 20 years. The "sudden passion" law protects individuals who react violently to situations in which they feel provoked or act impulsively out of rage, fear, or terror.

Jemele Hill, host of Spolitics, said she expected Anthony to receive some time, but she finds the verdict unfair to the teen. She mentioned other cases in Texas where people were given less time for similar situations. An off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger, was given 10 years for entering the apartment of Botham Jean, shooting and killing him while he sat on his couch. The officer was in the wrong apartment and claimed she thought Botham was at her apartment when she entered his unit and killed him while he sat on his couch. Jemele also mentioned the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, which did not take place in Texas.

In 2025, another Texas teen Caysen Allison was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison for stabbing Jose "Joe" Luis Ramirez Jr. to death during a bathroom fight at Belton High School in Belton. The jury found him guilty of lesser charges, criminally negligent homicide. He's required to serve at least two years in prison, whereas Karmelo must serve a minimum of 17.5 years.

According to trial information presented by FOX, Anthony was sitting with his bag on his lap, surrounded by several people in the crowded tent, as the situation escalated between Metcalf and some of his teammates. Anthony's defense team also highlighted that Metcalf had a significant size advantage over Anthony.

YouTube screenshot/ post trial statements

Despite Austin being an A student, a star athlete, and the captain of the football team, it's alleged that he and his twin brother were known to use their size and demeanor to intimidate others.

During the trial, Centennial High's coach, Adam Linwood, testified that he was unaware of any policies that prohibited athletes from visiting the tents of other teams. He stated that friends from different schools often socialize in each other's tents during their downtime and between events, referring to the track culture as "organized chaos."

Coach Linwood also explained to the jurors that he would not ask a student from another school to leave his tent if they were interacting with his athletes. He noted that following the stabbing incident, Centennial has implemented a new policy requiring students to remain under their own tent.

Jeremiah Smith, a former Centennial High athlete, was friends with Anthony also attested during the trial that athletes roam free and intermingle with other teams. Jeremiah said he's visited Memorial's tent before and never had issues with its team members.

Metcalf's twin brother, Hunter, who witnessed the entire incident, did not testify in the trial.

Karmelo has reportedly filed an appeal concerning his conviction and the biases that emerged during his trial.

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