Non-Black Jury Finds Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty of Murder in Fatal Stabbing of Frisco Student Austin Metcalf
A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder Tuesday in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, ending a high-profile trial that drew national attention and raised difficult questions about school safety, self-defense and how quickly a confrontation between teenagers can turn deadly.
Anthony, now 19, was charged in connection with Metcalf’s death at a Frisco ISD track meet on April 2, 2025, at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco. The two students attended different schools and, according to prosecutors, did not know each other before the encounter.
The jury rejected the defense’s argument that Anthony acted in self-defense during the confrontation. During closing arguments, Judge John Roach allowed jurors to consider a lesser manslaughter charge, but the panel ultimately convicted Anthony of murder.
Anthony now faces five to 99 years or life in prison. A manslaughter conviction would have carried a punishment range of two to 20 years.
No Black Jurors Selected
The trial began after a jury was selected in Collin County following hours of questioning from prosecutors and defense attorneys. The final panel included 12 jurors and six alternates. None of the jurors selected were Black.
Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of improperly striking the only three Black candidates who remained in the jury pool. Prosecutors said the strikes were race-neutral because all three candidates worked in education.
District Judge John Roach Jr. sided with prosecutors and allowed the strikes to stand. The jury reportedly included several people of color, but no Black jurors.
Case Drew National Attention
The case drew national attention and sparked intense online debate, much of it centered on race. Anthony is Black, and Metcalf was white.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors the case was not about race. “This case has nothing to do with race,” Texas prosecutor Bill Wirskye said during opening statements. “This case is not self-defense. Unjustified provoked murder — that’s why we’re here this morning.”
Anthony’s defense attorney, Mike Howard, argued that his client acted out of fear during a chaotic confrontation.
“After Karmelo defended himself with that knife, he ran. He didn’t stab again. He dropped the knife. He didn’t stab anyone else,” Howard said.
Jurors ultimately rejected the self-defense argument and found Anthony guilty of murder. He now faces a punishment range of five to 99 years or life in prison.
