Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Austin Metcalf. In the courtroom, Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, made a 5-word demand to his son’s killer.
17-year-old Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed during a track and field event at Centennial High School in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025. Austin and his killer, Karmelo Anthony, had reportedly never met before the fatal encounter.
Witnesses said Austin confronted Anthony, who attended another school, for sitting in Frisco Memorial High School’s tent in the stands and told him to move.
Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, who was also there, told WFAA: “And my brother stepped in and said, ‘You need to move.’ And he’s like, ‘Make me move.’”
Karmelo Anthony sentenced to 35 years in prison
The situation quickly escalated, and Austin was stabbed with a knife. Prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors that Metcalf realized he had been stabbed, lifted his shirt, and said, “I’ve been stabbed” before collapsing several rows down the bleachers.
On Tuesday, 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of murder.
During a victim impact statement, Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, demanded that Anthony look at him as he described the devastating impact his son’s death had on him, according to VT.
“You’re going to prison,” Jeff told Anthony, per Daily Mail. “You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f**king son in the heart.”
Austin Metcalf’s family
Anthony reportedly looked down as Austin’s family described their grief and the impact of losing him.
“If you ask me what my son’s death did to me, I would tell you it destroyed the person I used to be. Not changed me, destroyed me,” Jeff said, according to VT.
He continued, saying he forgave Anthony “the day it happened” but would never forgive “what you did.”
Jeff was visibly emotional as he shouted: “People think that grief is sadness but it’s not. It’s rage! Pure unfiltered rage.
“My son’s death didn’t just break my heart… It destroyed my sense of safety, my faith in people.”
He also made it clear that, in his view, the case had no connection to race.
“We’re all humans. We all bleed the same color,” he said, adding: “You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.
“You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don’t belong in this community.”
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