MCKINNEY, Texas (TNND) — Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murder on Tuesday in the stabbing death of a Texas high school athlete during a track meet.
Austin Metcalf, 17, was killed in April 2025. Prosecutors argued that Anthony killed him after being repeatedly told to leave a rival school’s tent.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye questioned why a teenager would bring a knife to a school sporting event, according to The Associated Press.
“This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder, plain and simple,” he said ahead of the verdict.
Wirskye also urged jurors to consider the broader implications of the case.
“Ultimately, this case is about accountability,” he said. “What kind of community do you want to live in?”
Defense attorney Michael Howard, meanwhile, argued during closing arguments that Anthony acted in self-defense after Metcalf confronted him about leaving the tent belonging to Frisco Memorial High School’s team.
Howard told jurors that Metcalf had “no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo.”
“Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,” Howard said. “In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.”
Tensions flared outside the courthouse throughout the trial, as videos circulating on social media appeared to show heated conflicts between groups supporting Anthony and those backing Metcalf’s family and friends. Some of the clips showed verbal exchanges that included racial insults.
Anthony is Black, while Metcalf was white.
The parents of both Anthony and Metcalf have said they were good students who planned to go to college. Metcalf’s father condemned those who seized on the race of the teenagers after the killing.
“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” Jeff Metcalf previously said on Fox News’ “America Reports.””This is a human being thing,” he said. “This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”
Anthony faces up to life in prison upon sentencing.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.