A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet, bringing an end to a closely watched trial that drew national attention and sparked debate over self-defense, race and school safety. Anthony, now 19, had been charged in the April 2, 2025, killing of Metcalf at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco. Prosecutors argued Anthony intentionally stabbed Metcalf during an altercation between the two teenagers, while defense attorneys contended Anthony acted in self-defense.
From left to right, Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf. CBS News Texas The jury reached its verdict after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses over several days, including students who witnessed the confrontation, law enforcement investigators, medical experts and character witnesses called by the defense. Anthony was arrested shortly after the stabbing and charged with murder. On Tuesday, during closing arguments, Judge John Roach allowed the jury to consider a lesser manslaughter charge. Prosecutors said Metcalf and Anthony attended different schools and did not know each other before the encounter. Authorities said the confrontation began near a team tent area before Anthony stabbed Metcalf once in the chest.
Metcalf was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The trial now moves to its sentencing phase. Under a murder guilty verdict, Anthony faces a punishment range of five to 99 years or life in prison. A manslaughter conviction would have carried a sentence of two to 20 years in prison. How prosecutors presented their case Prosecutors called 21 witnesses before resting their case, focusing on testimony and evidence they said showed Anthony was not acting in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf. Among the most emotional testimony came from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, who told jurors the stab wound pierced Metcalf’s heart. Ventura described the injury as a large, gaping wound that was not survivable. Prosecutors also showed jurors autopsy photographs during her testimony.
Student witnesses who were at the track meet recounted the moments leading up to and immediately after the stabbing. Memorial High School student Eddie Parra testified that Anthony was inside another school’s team tent before the confrontation and later became emotional while describing seeing blood and a wound in Metcalf’s chest. Art by Pat Lopez Another student witness testified he did not believe the stabbing was an act of self-defense, characterizing it as “lethal force against non-lethal force.” How Anthony’s defense presented its case Defense attorneys argued Anthony acted to protect himself during the confrontation and sought to challenge the prosecution’s portrayal of the events leading up to the stabbing.
The defense called several witnesses, including Centennial High School track coach Adam Linwood, who testified that athletes commonly socialized in other schools’ tents during track meets. Linwood also told jurors Anthony’s teammates had nominated him for a team captain role, though he acknowledged there was no reason for an athlete to have a knife at a track meet.
Scammers posing as federal agents across the country are dispatching couriers armed with secret passwords to collect gold bars from retirees, in some cases draining their life savings. In…
A week after Democrat LaKesha Womack pulled off a stunning upset in North Carolina’s red-leaning 14th Congressional District, she’s not headed to Washington, D.C.—she’s headed to a local courthouse,…
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They…
When life feels shaken and uncertain, God remains our unchanging refuge—the sure foundation beneath us when everything else seems to shift. His Word reminds us where lasting strength and…
Even when you feel invisible in your struggle, God sees every tear, every burden, and every silent prayer. Your exhaustion has not escaped His attention. “The Lord is close…
A Pennsylvania resident recently arrived home to find what looked like an unassuming black trash bag in their yard. But the bag moved and lifted its head. Turns out,…
create good impactful and powerful titleWe had a midterm election in which the Democrats and the Left were wildly successful. There is one way in which this makes some…
Democrats swept Republicans off the map in nearly every purple and blue state, but in many of those same states, voters also approved conservative ballot measures by wide margins.…
Following Jesus means standing firmly with Him even when the world rejects His truth, because our identity and hope are found in Christ rather than in human approval. When…
Nothing can sever the bond between believers and the love of God in Christ. His unshakable love stands firm through every trial, fear, and season of life. 📖”For I…
A mother and daughter are dead in a suspected grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola, British Columbia, devastating their family, according to the victims’ relatives and B.C. Conservation Officer…
Real love protects the innocent, refusing to ignore harm, standing for truth, and courageously defending the innocent from anything that would celebrate wrongdoing or threaten their God-given dignity and…
And so it begins 🤔 ‘LAWYER UP’: Jubilant Dems Warn Lawfare Campaign Will Begin the Moment They Take Office By Ben Kew Nov. 4, 2026 9:15 am86 Comments TruthTweetShareGettrGab…
In this video, he will dismantle the myth of the “pacifist Christ” and show you who Jesus actually was; gentle with the broken, merciless toward evil, and utterly unconcerned…
When life turns up the heat, your faith isn’t falling apart, it’s being revealed. What feels like pressure is actually God proving that what He placed in you can’t…
You may not have strength for tomorrow, but God promises enough grace for today. One step at a time, He will carry you forward. “But they who wait for…
The Bible is trustworthy because it is God’s eternal Word, it faithfully reveals His truth and guiding us toward Him. As we consider the evidence and message of Scripture,…
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves!…
Real love protects the innocent, refusing to ignore harm, standing for truth, and courageously defending the innocent from anything that would celebrate wrongdoing or threaten their God-given dignity and…
The pain of discipline may sting today, but we are reminded that endurance turns today’s struggle into tomorrow’s strength, producing a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who…
Endurance proves that your faith is real. Trials may test you, but they also refine you. When you remain faithful through hardship, you demonstrate love for God and trust…
Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother of five from Nigeria, has received a religious freedom award after a blasphemy prosecution kept her jailed for over 19 months before her acquittal.…
When your strength runs out and fear begins to rise, remember this truth: God does His greatest work in our weakest moments. Don’t you be afraid, for I am…
On Wednesday evening, it got heated in the second and final debate between Michigan Senate candidates, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, over the issue of the Muslim…
The God who created time is not controlled by time, He rules over it. Every prophecy fulfilled is proof that history is not random, but written by the hand…
When gunmen opened fire on a church in Jordan, Sahar al-Halsa hid behind a pillar as she heard the shooting and people screamed in panic during a funeral service…
I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways. Dear Heavenly Father, be my guide and protect me from these things that surround me that I do not…