Killer teen Karmelo Anthony appears stone-faced in new mugshot after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for murder of Austin Metcalf
The teenager convicted of murdering high school track star Austin Metcalf stared blankly into the camera in a newly released jail mugshot on Tuesday night after a Texas jury sentenced him to 35 years behind bars.
Karmelo Anthony, 19, showed little expression as he posed for the booking photograph following an emotional day in court that saw him convicted of first-degree murder and taken directly into custody.
The image was released after Anthony was transported to the Collin County jail, where he spent his first night as a convicted killer following the dramatic conclusion of one of Texas’ most closely watched murder trials.
Just hours earlier, Anthony had broken down in tears as a jury rejected his claim that he acted in self-defense when he fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a confrontation at a high school track and field meet in Frisco.
The courtroom grew especially emotional during victim impact statements delivered by Metcalf’s family.
Anthony kept his head lowered as relatives addressed the court, but attention turned to Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, when he approached the podium and spoke directly about the devastation left behind by the killing.
‘You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world,’ Hunter said through tears.
‘You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you.’
Karmelo Anthony appeared stone-faced in a newly released jail mugshot after beginning a 35-year prison sentence for murdering Austin Metcalf
A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old track athlete, Austin Metcalf, above
Karmelo Anthony (above) was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Texas last year
Members of the Metcalf family left the courtroom after Hunter finished speaking.
Anthony was formally remanded into custody moments later and escorted out of the courtroom.
The conviction brings to a close a case that shocked the fast-growing Dallas suburb of Frisco and attracted national attention.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before finding Anthony guilty of murder in the April 2025 killing.
The jury also rejected the defense’s argument that Anthony had acted lawfully to protect himself.
The fatal encounter unfolded during a rain-soaked track and field competition involving several North Texas schools.
Testimony during the trial established that Anthony had been sitting beneath a tent designated for Memorial High School athletes in the stadium bleachers.
Witnesses said Austin Metcalf and several teammates repeatedly asked Anthony to leave.
Greg Willis, the Collin County District Attorney is seen alongside Austin Metcalf’s twin brother Hunter and mother Megan at a press conference following Anthony’s sentencing on Tuesday
The case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding it quickly became racially fraught. Anthony’s supporters claim he was treated unfairly because he is black
An emotional Karmelo Anthony supporter is consoled by another outside the courthouse
What began as a verbal dispute quickly escalated. According to testimony, Anthony warned Metcalf: ‘Touch me and see what happens.’
Witnesses said Metcalf then shoved Anthony, who responded by pulling a knife and stabbing him in the chest. Austin collapsed from the wound and later died.
The two teenagers did not know one another before that day.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Anthony had escalated the confrontation and could not legally claim self-defense after provoking the encounter.
‘This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder plain and simple,’ prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors during closing arguments.
He also challenged the defense’s central argument that Anthony feared for his safety.
‘You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,’ Wirskye said.
Defense attorney Mike Howard painted a very different picture, arguing that Anthony reacted in a split second after physical contact was initiated.
‘Texas law does not require that you wait until you get hit,’ Howard told jurors. ‘In that split second of chaos, you must put yourself in his shoes.’
But jurors ultimately sided with prosecutors and declined to convict Anthony on the lesser offense of manslaughter.
While quizzing the medical examiner, Anthony’s lawyers implied that Metcalf impaled himself on the knife
Witnesses who were in the tent described Anthony as the aggressor, testifying that Anthony told Metcalf, ‘Touch me and see what happens’
Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that he had been invited over to the tent where the altercation happened, despite there being no evidence of that
After the verdict, Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, took the stand during sentencing and pleaded with jurors for leniency.
‘He’s very sorry for what he did. Please, have mercy on my son,’ she said.
The jury instead handed down a 35-year prison sentence.
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, addressed Anthony after sentencing, expressing both grief and anger over the loss of his son.
‘You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society,’ he said.
The case generated intense public interest throughout the proceedings.
Long lines formed outside the Collin County courthouse each day as spectators waited for seats inside the courtroom.
Security remained heavy throughout the trial, while supporters of both families gathered outside in triple-digit heat indexes awaiting the verdict.
The killing also became the subject of intense online debate, with some social media users attempting to frame the case through the lens of race because Anthony is black and Metcalf was white.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys repeatedly told jurors that race played no role in the confrontation.
