A Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing a rival high school track athlete during a meet has been found guilty of murder.
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A Collin County jury on Tuesday convicted Karmelo Anthony in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, rejecting Anthony's claim that he acted in self-defense during a confrontation in the bleachers at a track competition in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025.
Anthony, now 19, faces up to life in prison. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before returning the guilty verdict and declining the option of a lesser manslaughter conviction.
The same jury will determine Anthony's sentence.
The case drew national attention in the months leading up to trial, fueled in part by social media commentary that framed the incident along racial lines. Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white, though attorneys for both sides told jurors race played no role in the confrontation.
Following the verdict, Anthony's mother, Kala Hayes, pleaded for leniency.
"He's very sorry for what he did. Please, have mercy on my son," Hayes told jurors during the sentencing phase.
The fatal encounter occurred during a rainy spring track meet involving several area schools. Testimony showed Anthony was sitting beneath a tent designated for Memorial High School when Metcalf and other students repeatedly asked him to leave.
What began as a verbal dispute quickly escalated.
Defense attorney Mike Howard argued that Anthony feared for his safety and was justified in defending himself.
"Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit," Howard told jurors during closing arguments. "In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes."
Prosecutors painted a much different picture, arguing Anthony provoked the confrontation and responded with deadly force after a relatively minor physical altercation.
"This is not self-defense, folks. It's murder plain and simple," prosecutor Bill Wirskye said.
According to testimony and a police report, Anthony allegedly warned Metcalf, "Touch me and see what happens," while reaching into a bag. Witnesses said Metcalf then pushed Anthony, who responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing him in the chest.
The two teenagers, both from Frisco, did not know each other before the encounter.
"You don't get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove," Wirskye told jurors.
He also urged jurors to consider the broader implications of the case.
"Ultimately, this case is about accountability," Wirskye said. "What kind of community do you want to live in?"
Emotions ran high when the decision was announced, with some supporters of Anthony visibly distraught.
Both Anthony and Metcalf were described by their families as good students with plans to attend college. But jurors ultimately sided with prosecutors' argument that Anthony's actions went beyond self-defense, bringing one of Texas' most closely watched criminal trials of the past year to a close.
