Supporters of Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony clash outside of the Collin County Courthouse before a verdict is announced in Anthony’s murder trial in McKinney, TX, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The Collin County jury found Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf last April at a Frisco track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Tensions over race and fairness in the justice system continue to brew Wednesday, a day after Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf, with elected officials and celebrities taking to social media to praise the verdict or condemn it as overly harsh.
Racial animosity and misinformation from across the country spread following the stabbing, which took place at a Frisco high school track meet last year, and sparked protests and arguments outside the courthouse and on social media during the trial. Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years by a Collin County jury Tuesday, is Black. Metcalf was white.
Overnight, local civic organizations critiqued the verdict and legal process as area politicians labeled the ruling as justice being served. But the case is also continuing to draw national attention.
Article continues below this ad
A supporter of Karmelo Anthony reacts outside of the Collin County Courthouse after a Collin County jury found Anthony guilty of murder 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
Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B posted on X early Wednesday morning, calling the verdict “DISGUSTING.”
“This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!” she wrote.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat who represents parts of Dallas, also took to social media Tuesday night, saying in a livestream that Anthony is one of many individuals who have been “over prosecuted” and given “crazy sentences.”
“I don’t think that there’s a lot of humanity in many of the courtrooms, but definitely in the criminal justice and carceral system,” said Crockett, who has worked as a public defender. The carceral system refers to the policies and institutions used to define criminal activity in the United States.
Article continues below this ad
The Collin County Young Democrats joined Anthony supporters in criticizing the verdict, writing in a Facebook post that “Justice must be more than punishment.”
“As our community processes this painful case, we cannot ignore the deeper questions it raises about fairness, race, sentencing, and who receives compassion in our legal system,” the group wrote. “Collin County deserves a justice system our whole community can trust.”
A supporter of Karmelo Anthony, holding a sign that reads “Self Defense is not A Crime”, reacts outside of the Collin County Courthouse after a Collin County jury found Anthony guilty of murder 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
The Collin County NAACP posted on Facebook that the group is “enraged” by the verdict, writing that the verdict raises questions regarding “fairness, representation, and confidence in our justice system.” The group pointed to the absence of Black jurors on the case as a concern.
Article continues below this ad
Prosecutors are required to provide a “race-neutral” reason for striking the jurors, and they said it was because all three were educators. The case involved two high school students. District Judge John Roach Jr. sided with prosecutors.
Nearly two-thirds of Collin County is white, while 12.1% of the population is Black, according to Census records from July 2025.
Texas state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, said he considers the verdict justice served, calling Metcalf’s death “a senseless and heartbreaking tragedy” that forever changed his community.
Supporters of Austin Metcalf hold signs before a verdict is announced in Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial outside of the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, TX, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf last April at a Frisco track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
“While no outcome can erase this pain, it is our hope that this moment allows the Metcalf family and our community to begin the difficult process of healing and moving forward together,” Patterson wrote Tuesday in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.
Article continues below this ad
Burt Thakur, a Frisco City Council member representing Place 2, and state representative Matt Shaheen mirrored Patterson’s message of justice in Facebook posts Tuesday.
Related: Jury hands down 35-year sentence
“While no action can possibly mitigate the pain the Metcalf family is going through and has gone through, hopefully the process of healing for them can begin,” Thakur wrote.
“Today justice was served in the tragic murder of Austin Metcalf,” wrote Shaheen, whose district covers parts of Frisco. “We pray for Austin’s family and all who have been impacted by this senseless tragedy.”
Thakur also said he hopes healing for the Frisco community will begin.
Article continues below this ad
Though divisions are still brewing, some organizations, such as the Collin-Denton Chapter of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, focused on the tragedy itself and its effect on the community.
“Regardless of where people stand on the outcome of this case, there is no denying that pain exists on all sides,” the group wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “Tonight, our hearts are with our Collin County community and with the families whose lives have been forever impacted by this tragedy.”
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who is currently running for Texas lieutenant governor, also focused on affirming what was felt on both sides of the courtroom. Goodwin wrote in a statement posted on X that while her “heart is with the Metcalf family” she also recognizes concerns about the trial and verdict.
“No Texan should be told their concerns about fairness and equal treatment under the law are unworthy of being heard,” she wrote.
Article continues below this ad
Staff writer Angela Mathew contributed to this report.