On April 2, 2025, Austin Metcalf, a white 17-year-old student at Memorial High School, was murdered by Karmelo Anthony, a black Centennial High School student of the same age, while attending a school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony stabbed Metcalf after an altercation, and Metcalf died of his injuries.
๐ค Victim Background
Metcalf, born July 31, 2007, was a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas. He was MVP linebacker of the football team and participated in track and field. He had a twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, with whom he played football.
โ๏ธ Perpetrator Background
Karmelo Anthony, the perpetrator, was a student and athlete for the track and football team, which he captained, at Centennial High School, also in Frisco. Anthony and Metcalf did not know each other. Anthony was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was the oldest of four children in his family. He had no prior criminal history.
๐๏ธ Incident Details
The stabbing occurred at the Memorial High School tent in David Kuykendall Stadium at approximately 10 a.m. (CDT) on April 2, 2025. The altercation started when the track and field championship event was delayed due to thunderstorms and heavy downpours. Hunter Metcalf, Austin’s twin brother, told Anthony to move out of the Memorial team’s tent. Austin then confronted Anthony.
During the argument that ensued, Anthony allegedly said, “Touch me and see what happens,” while reaching his hand into his backpack. Metcalf then grabbed Anthony to move him. In response, Anthony pulled out a black knife from the backpack and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest before running away. Another witness in the Frisco Police Arrest Report stated “Austin and [Anthony] went back and forth and then Austin stood up and pushed [Anthony] to get him out of the tent”.
๐ Aftermath of Stabbing
After being stabbed, Metcalf ran down the bleachers, grabbing his chest and telling those around him to get help. When police arrived, he was not conscious or breathing, and athletic trainers were performing chest compressions on him. Austin Metcalf was pronounced dead minutes after arriving in the hospital.
๐ฎ Arrest and Statements
Anthony quickly surrendered to the police. According to a responding officer, Anthony first said “I was protecting myself” and was “emotional” and “crying hysterically” after he was arrested. The officer then communicated to others that he had Anthony in custody, to which he responded, “I’m not ‘alleged’. I did it.”
As he was being escorted to the police car, Anthony reportedly said: “He put his hands on me, I told him not to”. While he was sitting in the back seat of the police car, he asked if Metcalf is “going to be OK” and asked the officer if what he did could be considered self-defense.
โก Charges and Bond
Anthony was charged with murder and transported to the Collin County jail. He was charged as an adult, since, under the Texas criminal justice system, defendants age 17 and older are prosecuted as adults. On April 14, 2025, Judge Angela Tucker lowered Anthony’s bond from $1 million to $250,000, citing his clean criminal record and his academic and athletic achievements. Anthony was released on bond the same day.
According to his release conditions, an adult was required to supervise Anthony at all times, he was required to contact the judge’s bailiff every Friday morning, and he was prohibited from using social media or contacting Metcalf’s family. Anthony’s lawyer said that he would plead not guilty and claim self-defense at his future trial. Anthony could not have been subject to a sentence of life without parole or the death penalty due to his age.
๐ Indictment and Trial
On June 24, 2025, a grand jury indicted Anthony on charges of murder. Anthony’s trial began with jury selection on June 1, 2026, in Collin County, with Judge John Roach Jr. presiding. Jurors filled out a questionnaire, and the jury pool included nearly 600 people. During selection, the defense raised a Batson challenge after the prosecution struck three black female jurors from the pool, of whom the defense considered to be “similarly situated” to a white female juror that was not struck. The prosecution argued that the three women were struck for race-neutral reasons, namely their status as teachers of school-aged children. Judge Roach sided with the prosecution and permitted the strikes.
On June 3, the jury was seated with no black jurors, though several were people of color. Including alternates, the jury was composed of 11 women and 7 men. One of the seated jurors was an educator who did not work in a traditional school environment.
๐ค Opening Statements
Opening statements began on June 4, with Collin County District Attorney Bill Wirskye stating the killing was a “provoked unjustified murder” in which Anthony had provoked Metcalf to touch him, and that Metcalf “pushed and shoved” before Anthony stabbed him in a “sneak attack” using a concealed knife. Wirskye stated the case does not concern race or self-defense. The defense attorney, Michael Howard, stated there are varying accounts of what occurred before the stabbing, and that Anthony was seated when confronted by Metcalf and his brother, Hunter. He stated it was Metcalf who made first contact and that Anthony reacted “in a split second of fear and chaos” as the group was “turning on him”. Howard argued that Anthony was defending himself.
Jurors were then shown grainy surveillance camera footage of the incident, which prosecutors said showed Metcalf pushing Anthony and then Anthony exiting after stabbing Metcalf. A coach from Memorial High School then testified that it was unusual for a rival teammate to be seated in another school’s tent, as Anthony was before Metcalf confronted him. Jurors also heard testimony from a coach from Liberty High School who viewed the aftermath of the stabbing, as well as heard 911 emergency calls following the stabbing and viewed Metcalf’s bloodstained jacket. The defense asked the Liberty High School coach if it was normal for students from different schools to converse and asked where athletes warming up would seek shelter.
๐ฅ Witness Testimony
Students who were under the tent during the stabbing testified on June 5. A student witness stated that people, including Metcalf, had confronted Anthony and asked him to leave the tent, to which Anthony allegedly said, “touch me and find out”, and kept his hands in his backpack, warning that he had something. Witnesses estimated Anthony was asked to leave as many as 15 times. The witness said that they did not try to gang up on Anthony and that the exchange lasted about two minutes. Multiple students labeled Anthony as the aggressor and that he had entered the tent to escape the rain.
The defense’s cross-examination focused on discrepancies between the students’ testimony and the account they initially provided to law enforcement. They further established the physical difference between Anthony and Metcalf, with the latter being 50 to 60 pounds (23 to 27 kg) heavier, and emphasized Metcalf’s (and several others’) position over Anthony, who was seated. First responders, including a paramedic and the school resource officer who arrested Anthony, gave testimony as well.
๐ก๏ธ Defense Case
The defense’s case started on the afternoon of June 5, after the prosecution rested. The defense called Anthony’s coach, who testified that it was not unusual for athletes from different schools to share tents, and a Frisco Memorial student gave a different account of the confrontation, saying Metcalf grabbed Anthony before the stabbing. However, under cross-examination, he stated Anthony had provoked him. A police officer testified that carrying a 5-inch (13 cm) knife is not unlawful in Texas, even though it is against school policy. The defense rested on June 8, with Anthony not being called to testify. Closing arguments occurred on June 9.
๐จ Verdict and Sentencing
The jury found Anthony guilty of murder after three hours of deliberation; the verdict was announced at 1:35 PM on June 9. The jury rejected the “sudden passion” claim and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.
๐ Post-Trial Security
The courts approved Anthony moving to an “undisclosed location” due to safety concerns. According to the Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), a nonprofit organization working with Anthony’s family, the move was precipitated by an “alarming increase in death threats, continued harassment, and physical intimidation” targeted at him and his family’s home.
๐จ Harassment and Threats
Metcalf’s mother and father both had their homes swatted, with one such incident resulting in a SWAT team showing up to Metcalf’s father’s home with their weapons drawn. Additionally, both Metcalf’s and Anthony’s fathers were forced to leave their jobs after facing harassment and doxxing. Angela Tucker, the judge who lowered the bond to $250,000, was doxxed and received multiple threats from unknown people. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the local sheriff’s office launched an investigation into these incidents.
๐ข Press Conference
Anthony’s parents and the NGAN held a press conference on April 17. Metcalf’s father attended the event. However, Dallas police asked Metcalf to leave. After Metcalf had left the press conference, NGAN founder and president Dominique Alexander said Metcalf was “uninvited” and that his presence was “disrespectful to the dignity of his son”. Metcalf said he thought it would be “an opportunity for the two families to come together in a productive way”.
๐ฐ Fundraising
Anthony’s family set up a crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo to pay for legal defense, raising over $515,000 by May 1. GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns were launched by Metcalf’s father and the owner of the pizzeria in Frisco where Metcalf worked part-time, raising nearly $250,000. The founder of GiveSendGo, Jacob Wells, has compared the case to those of Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny, stating that Anthony should be afforded the “same presumption of innocence” as anyone else. On May 2, GiveSendGo turned off the commenting function on Anthony’s fundraiser page, citing an “unacceptable volume of racist and derogatory remarks”.
๐ฑ Misinformation
Anthony and his family were attacked online due to allegations that they bought a car and a $900,000 house with donated funds. According to Snopes, the family had not withdrawn any money from donations, and these claims appeared to originate with a story from the Daily Mail. Shortly after Metcalf’s death, an X account impersonating the Frisco police chief began spreading misinformation and a fake autopsy report. The post gained millions of views on X and other social media platforms. The Frisco Police Department and the FBI began investigating the account for police impersonation.
๐ข Protest
On April 19, 2025, the group “Protect White Americans” held a protest at David Kuykendall Stadium, the place where Metcalf, who was white, was killed. Protestors demanded Anthony, who is black, be returned to police custody until his trial. Two counterprotestors were arrested. Metcalf’s father told the organizer of the protest that he disapproved of his efforts, stating, “You’re trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap. I do not condone anything you do.” He also requested that his son’s school portrait be removed from the group’s website.
| Date | Event | Location | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2025 | Stabbing incident | David Kuykendall Stadium, Frisco, TX | Anthony stabbed Metcalf once in the chest |
| April 2, 2025 | Metcalf pronounced dead | Hospital | Died minutes after arriving |
| April 14, 2025 | Bond reduced to $250,000 | Collin County court | Judge Tucker lowered bond |
| June 24, 2025 | Grand jury indictment | Collin County | Indicted on murder charges |
| June 1, 2026 | Trial begins | Collin County | Jury selection started |
| June 9, 2026 | Guilty verdict | Collin County | Found guilty after 3 hours deliberation |
| June 9, 2026 | Sentencing | Collin County | Sentenced to 35 years in prison |