Lori Arnold of North Texas holds a sign that reads “JUSTICE 4 AUSTIN” outside of the Collin County Courthouse as closing arguments are scheduled to start in Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial in McKinney, TX, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Anthony is accused of killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf last April at a Frisco track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Karmelo Anthony was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Collin County jury Tuesday night for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a track meet in April 2025.
The jury spent about three hours deliberating Tuesday before finding Anthony guilty of murder. The testimony lasted five days and prosecutors called 21 witnesses to the stand.
Anthony’s team made a broad self-defense argument and raised “sudden passion” in sentencing, both of which the jury rejected. During the brief punishment phase of the trial, the defense called only one witness: Kala Hayes, Anthony’s mother.
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Hayes held back tears as she told jurors that although Anthony is the oldest of her four children, he would always be her baby. Mike Howard, Anthony’s lead defense attorney, asked whether her son regretted what he had done.
Related: Jury hands down 35-year sentence
“Yes,” she answered. “I know my son, and he’s very sorry for what he did.”
“Please have mercy on my son,” she said.
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Victim impact statements
After sentencing, Austin Metcalf’s mother, father and twin brother delivered victim impact statements, a chance for those close to him to describe the toll of his death, after the jury was escorted from the McKinney courtroom.
His mother, Meghan Metcalf, described a once-happy home filled with laughter that has grown quiet since her son’s death. She recalled hugging him the morning of the track meet, unaware it would be the last time she would see him.
Anthony should feel lucky to have received 35 years because she had been “sentenced to a lifetime without [her] son,” she said.
Anthony kept his head low for much of her remarks, appearing not to look toward her.
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Related: Five things to know about the Karmelo Anthony verdict and sentencing
His father, Jeff Metcalf, spoke next as a slideshow of photos from the twins’ childhood played in the courtroom. A childhood full of birthday parties, fishing trips and football games — one that was cut short.
“People think grief is sadness. It’s not — it’s rage,” he said, as he slammed his hands on the witness stand with enough force that some people in the courtroom jumped. “Pure, unfiltered rage. It’s trauma. It’s replaying every detail until you feel physically sick. It’s carrying images and memories your brain resets, but you can’t shut off.”
‘How cruel people can be’
He described how his and Meghan Metcalf’s homes had been targeted by fake 911 calls meant to draw a large police response, and how narratives around the case had wrongly centered on race. “It made me realize how cruel people can be,” he said.
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At one point, Jeff Metcalf asked Anthony to look at him as he spoke. Anthony did not appear to look up.
“You can’t even look me in the eye right now, but you can stab my f—ing son in the heart,” he yelled, before apologizing to the judge.
Austin Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, was the final family member to speak. He began by asking Anthony to look at him, saying he wanted a “little respect,” but that he understood if Anthony could not do so.
Hunter Metcalf described the pain of losing his twin brother and how he had found some solace in his faith. He still does not understand why Anthony had taken so much from his family.
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After the family left the courtroom, they stood with Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis as he thanked District Judge John Roach Jr. and the jury for enforcing accountability and expressed gratitude toward the teenagers who “cooperated fully and testified truthfully” during the case.