The parents of 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony, who killed another teenager in 2025 at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, said they do not believe their son got a fair trial and still want justice.
During an interview this week after he was convicted and sentenced, Kala Hayes and Andrew Anthony vowed to “keep fighting,” TMZ reported Wednesday.
The couple were wearing t-shirts that said “#BelieveKarmelo” when asked if they believed the young man received a fair trial.
“Absolutely not,” both parents stated. “And we’re going to keep fighting. We will not stop fighting for justice for my son,” Hayes told Mimi Brown:
A jury found Karmelo guilty Tuesday of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf and sentenced him to 35 years in prison, Breitbart News reported.
The outlet detailed the incident:
Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the Frisco Memorial tent at a regional track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony, a former student at Frisco Centennial, took shelter in the tent during a rainy portion of the day. Frisco Memorial athletes, including Metcalf, told him to leave the tent “roughly 15 times,” according to witnesses.
One 17-year-old student-athlete who went to Frisco Memorial with Metcalf told the court that Anthony, 19, did not act in self-defense. He kept his hands in his backpack until Metcalf shoved him, and then he responded by stabbing the teen in the chest.
Karmelo will reportedly begin his prison sentence in isolation as a safety measure.
In a statement to reporters after the sentencing, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said, “Today justice was served” as he stood alongside Metcalf’s family.
“We thank all the parents and their brave kids who did the right thing. Despite the trauma of witnessing the senseless murder at a school track meet, they cooperated fully and testified truthfully. Their courage was essential to securing justice in this case,” he added:
In reaction to the verdict, Dallas attorney Thelma Anderson said, “Pray for the Anthony family, because they have been legally lynched for the last year and more so by this slaughterhouse of a courthouse, as well as the family of the Metcalfs. The energy right now is very white supremacy. They have shown up to be the pigs that they display with hate. They are celebrating the loss of life and a loss of freedom.”
She further claimed, “We have an overzealous prosecutor who lied throughout this trial, who put on liars as witnesses in order to be a saving grace for the white community so that they can win an election.”
