![\"Collin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781099740_17_.webp\")
Collin County Courthouse in McKinney. (Tony Gutierrez | AP)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tCollin County Courthouse in McKinney. (Tony Gutierrez | AP)<\/p>\n
A Collin County jury sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison Tuesday for the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet last year.<\/p>\n
It came just hours after Anthony was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing. He faced up to life in prison.<\/p>\n
Jurors had the option of finding him guilty of manslaughter or murder if they didn\u2019t find him not guilty. The two charges are distinguished by intent<\/a>. Murder means the jury believed Anthony \u201cknowingly\u201d caused Metcalf\u2019s death.<\/p>\n During the trial\u2019s punishment phase, Anthony\u2019s mother Kayla Hayes asked the jury for mercy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s my oldest, he\u2019s my first born, he will always be my baby,\u201d she said. \u201cI love him very much.\u201d<\/p>\n She was asked if she believed her son had any regrets.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know my son,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s very sorry for what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease have mercy on my son,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n During closing arguments in the punishment phase, Anthony\u2019s defense attorney Mike Howard acknowledged how difficult the decision was for the jury and asked them to consider sudden passion in determining their punishment. They don\u2019t have to be sure, he said \u2014 they only need to believe Anthony felt terror in the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI can only ask you to consider both sides, to follow your hearts, and to follow the law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Prosecutor attorney Bill Wirskye argued in response that sudden passion, by definition, \u201cdoes not apply to this case and this set of facts.\u201d<\/p>\n He asked the jury to consider a life sentence, telling jurors, \u201cmercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of what you do today, plenty of life sentences have already been handed out in this case,\u201d he said to the jury.<\/p>\n The decision comes after both sides rested their case Monday afternoon. Anthony\u2019s defense lasted two days and ended without him taking the stand. Prosecutors argued the stabbing was an unjustified attack on Metcalf, while the defense said Anthony acted in self defense.<\/p>\n The case has drawn national attention and controversy over the race of both teens. Anthony is Black and victim was white. None of the jurors were Black.<\/p>\n Several schools were competing when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.<\/p>\n During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors said that Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses have testified that Anthony was the aggressor.<\/p>\n Anthony at one point reached inside a bag and replied: \u201cTouch me and see what happens,\u201d according to a police report.<\/p>\n Metcalf pushed Anthony, according to witnesses, who said Anthony then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest. The teens, both from Frisco, didn\u2019t know each other.<\/p>\n The trial drew lines of spectators hoping to find seats in the gallery and unfolded amid heavy security at the Collin County courthouse. As police officers watched Tuesday, dozens of people stood outside the courthouse in 90 degree heat to await the verdict. There were wails of grief from one woman \u2014 \u201cThis isn\u2019t real!\u201d \u2014 when the result became known.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Emily DeMotte at edemotte@kera.org<\/a> or Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n