After sentencing Karmelo Anthony to 35 years for murdering Austin Metcalf, the Texas judge who oversaw the trial defended the verdict and described the convicted killer as a “nice young man.”

The comments came just days after a Texas jury convicted Anthony, 19, of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a confrontation at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025.

According to reports, the altercation turned deadly when Anthony pulled a knife from his backpack and stabbed Metcalf in the chest, leaving the teenager to die in the arms of his twin brother, Hunter.

“I tried to whip around as fast as I could. I didn’t see the stab…but then I looked at my brother…I tried to help him,” a teary-eyed Hunter said shortly after the incident.

“I tried to help him.”

Guilty of murder

The case attracted national attention, with Anthony’s attorneys arguing that he acted in self-defense during the confrontation. Jurors rejected that claim and on June 9, after only three hours of deliberation, they returned with a decision, finding the teenager guilty of murder.

The jury also declined the claim that Anthony acted under “sudden passion,” a legal argument that could have reduced the offense from first-degree to second-degree murder and significantly lowered the potential punishment. Instead, Anthony was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.

‘My son was murdered…’

As the sentencing phase ended, Metcalf’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements describing the devastating loss that continues to shape their daily lives.

“Now my conversations with him are one-sided, sitting at his grave,” Austin’s mother, Meghan Metcalf, said, according to CBS News. “… I have to accept that instead of walking beside me, he’s walking above me.”

The grieving mother told the court that the hardest part of losing her son is confronting his absence every day.

“Going into an empty room, empty bed, and once again remembering Austin is dead,” she said, stressing that her son’s death was not an accident: “My son was murdered. He didn’t just die.”

Following the sentencing, Meghan addressed Anthony directly.

“You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years behind bars, but you can consider yourself lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.”

Anthony broke down in tears as the sentence was read in court.

Judge stands by jury’s decision

Speaking to ABC affiliate WFAA after the trial, Judge John Roach said he fully supports the decision made by the jury.

“They were picked based upon the law, they listened to the facts, it happened in this courtroom, and they got a verdict,” Roach said when asked whether the jurors got it right.

The veteran judge, who has spent more than two decades on the bench, said the high-profile nature of the case never affected his approach.

“I certainly knew it was a very, very important case within our community,” Roach told the outlet. “Our community needed to heal quickly. They needed this case over. One way or another, uh, but the case had to be fair first.”

The judge added that “it was an easy decision,” and explained his “primary goal in every case is to make sure the defendant and the prosecution get a fair trial. Period.”

Roach acknowledged that not everyone would agree with how the trial was handled, but said public opinion is not something he focuses on when making decisions from the bench.

“As long as I follow the law, I sleep well at night, I know I made people mad but I’m not here to make them happy either,” he said.

“Nice young man”

Reflecting on the life of the teenager he had just sentenced to 35 years in prison, the judge suggested that Anthony now fully understands the consequences of his actions.

“He seems like a nice young man who committed a crime and he understands today more than any day before the consequences of committing a crime like he did,” Roach said.

Although Anthony’s trial has concluded, the legal battle is far from over. Court records show the teenager has filed a notice of appeal as he seeks to challenge both his conviction and his 35-year sentence.

If you’ve been following this heartbreaking case, we’d love to hear your thoughts about Anthony’s sentencing!

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• Twin brother of teen stabbed in heart at school track meet breaks silence
• Austin Metcalf’s dad delivers explosive courtroom message to son’s killer after 35-year sentence