A Collin County grand jury indicted Karmelo Anthony, then 18, on a charge of murder following the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas in April 2025 [1][2]. The case proceeded to trial in the 296th District Court before Judge John Roach, with the prosecution handled by the Collin County District Attorney's Office and defense counsel Mike Howard and Toby Shook entering a self-defense claim on Anthony's behalf [2][3]. The defense argued that Anthony acted to protect himself during a confrontation between students from rival schools; the prosecution disputed that account and maintained the stabbing was unjustified [1][3].
The jury deliberated for fewer than three hours before returning a guilty verdict on the single count of murder on June 9, 2026 [2][3]. The panel rejected Anthony's self-defense claim in full [1]. Lead prosecutor Bill Wirskye of the Collin County District Attorney's Office presented the state's case; no acquitted or hung counts were reported [2][3].
In a punishment phase conducted the same day, the jury sentenced Anthony, now 19, to 35 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice [2][3]. Under Texas law, Anthony will be eligible for parole after serving half that term [2]. The sentence was handed down by the jury rather than the bench, consistent with Texas practice when a defendant does not waive jury sentencing.
The case drew sustained national attention throughout its pretrial and trial phases, with protests reported outside the Collin County courthouse in McKinney and substantial social media coverage focused on the racial identities of the defendant and victim, the application of Texas self-defense law, and the treatment of a juvenile defendant charged as an adult [1][3]. No immediate post-trial motion practice or notice of appeal had been publicly reported as of the verdict date, though Texas law affords Anthony the right to appeal the conviction and sentence to the Fifth Court of Appeals [2].