Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a track meet after the jury rejected a proposed “sudden passion” argument that could have significantly reduced his punishment.
The jury in Collin County, Texas deliberated for about three hours before finding Anthony, 19, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Metcalf earlier Monday afternoon. They then spent nearly another three hours deciding his lengthy sentence.
During the sentencing phase, the jury weighed the potential extenuating circumstances of “sudden passion” – crimes committed in the heat of the moment that, in Texas, spell lighter sentences.
The jury wasn’t swayed by Anthony’s lawyers “sudden passion” claim and sentenced him to 35 years. He faced a maximum of 99 years or life.
The “sudden passion” extenuation would’ve downgraded his verdict from first-degree to second-degree murder and shrunk his steep punishment to a maximum of 20 years.
Anthony sat with his head on the table moments before the sentence was delivered and appeared to be sobbing, NBC DFW reported.
He stood when asked, but still kept his head angled down, NBC reported.
Metcalf’s mother, Meghan, delivered a powerful statement calling her slain son their family’s beloved peacemaker.
“There was a part of him you can never take from me, the strength I still get from him every day, because I know what it was like to be loved by him. My son was murdered. He didn’t just die. He was taken from us. Just as he was starting to live,” Meghan said.
“You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years, you should feel lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a life without my son.”
Meghan’s sister imparted a poignant question that has haunted Metcalf’s loved ones since his murder.
Here’s the latest on Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial following the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf
- Karmelo Anthony sobs as he’s convicted of murder for stabbing Austin Metcalf — and killer’s angry supporters claim, ‘This whole thing’s been racist’
- Hate-filled protests erupt outside courthouse after Karmelo Anthony found guilty of murder
- Karmelo Anthony’s lawyer blames Austin Metcalf for his own death in shocking argument
- Karmelo Anthony jurors shocked to their core over ghastly autopsy photo — and accused killer refuses to look
“One question will always be with me. Why? Why could you not have just left?” she asked.
Anthony kept his head down the whole time, according to the report.
After the hearing, Anthony’s mother, Kala, and his brother blasted the killer’s conviction and sentence as “racist and biased” to cheering supporters who chanted “free Karmelo.”
Before the jury broke for deliberation, prosecutor Dewey Mitchell explained that the sentencing was about deciding the cost “of taking a life” in Collin County – one of the most conservative parts of Texas.
“There are going to be bleachers at stadiums in Collin County where parents are going to watch their kids play. One of the reasons we’re in the community we live in is because we feel safe,” Mitchell said, according to NBC.
One of Anthony’s lawyers, Mike Howard, insisted that considering the extenuating circumstance at hand wasn’t about blaming anyone at the track meet the day Metcalf was murdered.
“Decisions made in the heat of the moment are different than decisions that come after reflection.
“So when something happens … and you believe that Karmelo felt terror in that moment such that it rendered his mind incapable that he didn’t have time for cool reflection, then sudden passion applies,” the lawyer said.
Anthony sobbed his way through the bulk of the “mini-trial” after the jury delivered his guilty verdict.
Anthony insisted he acted in self-defense, but did not take the witness stand during the trial – a move experts say likely sealed his guilty fate.
Anthony killed Metcalf during an April 2, 2025 run-in sparked by a dispute over seating at the track and field event in Frisco.
The four-day trial featured vivid testimony and photos that shook jurors, including autopsy photos of Metcalf’s 2-inch wound that pierced his heart.
Metcalf’s family stepped out of the courtroom for the disturbing evidence and became emotional at various points of the trial, including when one coach broke down on the witness stand while recalling his student’s death.
Anthony’s sympathizers tried to make the case about race and painted Metcalf as a white bully. Their argument wasn’t helped by the jury selection, which didn’t feature a single black person.
Witnesses who took the stand easily dispelled the antagonistic theories.
Metcalf’s teammates told the jury that the fight began when Metcalf asked Anthony, then a 17-year-old from Frisco Centennial High School, to move out from under the Memorial High School team’s tent.
Anthony refused to budge from the bleacher area where the rival teammates pitched their tent despite being asked roughly 15 times by Metcalf and others.
As the argument escalated, Anthony warned Metcalf, “Touch me and find out,” while dipping his hand into his backpack as if ready to grab something, witnesses recounted.
Metcalf eventually shoved Anthony, and the irate teen whipped a semi-serrated folding knife out of his bag, plunging it once into the victim’s chest, according to testimony.
Metcalf’s twin brother Hunter and other horrified teens rushed to try to save the mortally wounded student. Anthony, meanwhile, ditched his knife and tried to bolt before coaches stopped him, jurors heard.
Anthony insisted he acted in self-defense but did not take the witness stand during the trial – a move experts say likely sealed his guilty fate.
