Texas: Teen jailed 35 years for fatal stabbing at school athletics event

A school track meet dispute that ended in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf has resulted in a 35-year prison sentence for Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony.

A jury found Anthony guilty on Tuesday after deliberating for less than three hours.

The stabbing happened in April 2025 during a secondary school athletics event in the Dallas area.

Prosecutors said the confrontation began after Anthony refused to leave a tent being used by Metcalf’s team on a rainy day.

Students who testified during the trial described a heated exchange between the two boys, who attended rival schools.

The prosecution argued that Anthony threatened Metcalf and deliberately stabbed him.

Defence lawyers told the jury that Anthony acted in self-defence.

That argument was rejected.

The judge had permitted the jury to consider manslaughter, a lesser charge carrying a sentence of up to 20 years, but jurors convicted Anthony of the more serious offence.

Although he was 17 when the incident occurred, Anthony was tried as an adult under Texas law.

He was not eligible for the death penalty because he was a minor at the time of Metcalf’s death.

The trial drew national attention, partly because of public debate about race, school safety and self-defence.

Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white, but lawyers for both sides told the court the killing was not racially motivated.

Prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, most of them focusing on what happened at the track meet.

Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Elizabeth Ventura gave emotional testimony about the fatal wound, telling the court that the knife pierced Metcalf’s heart.

The defence called several witnesses of its own, including students and track coach Adam Linwood.

The coach said Anthony had previously been nominated to serve as team captain.

Reports also indicated that Anthony performed well academically and had a near-perfect 4.0 GPA.

Prosecutors said the two boys did not know each other before the incident.

Anthony did not testify in his own defence.

During the sentencing phase, his mother asked the court for mercy and said her son was sorry.

The case sparked strong reactions online.