Karmelo Anthony receives 35‑year murder sentence in Texas

A Texas jury convicted 19‑year‑old Black teen Karmelo Anthony of murder for the fatal stabbing of 17‑year‑old white student Austin Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet in April 2025. Jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours, rejecting Anthony’s self‑defense argument and any lesser charge such as manslaughter or a “sudden‑passion” finding, and imposed a 35‑year prison term.

The case, tried in Collin County, sparked nationwide discussion about racial disparities in self‑defense claims, with commentators comparing it to the sentencing of white teen Caysen Allison, who received a ten‑year term for a similar stabbing. Researchers note that Black defendants, especially those accused of killing white victims, often receive harsher penalties. Anthony’s legal team is expected to pursue appeals, while the Metcalf family awaits the enforcement of the sentence.