Texas teen sentenced to 35 years for killing fellow student at athletics event

A Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing one of his peers at a high school athletics event in the Dallas area was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday.

The racially polarising trial of Karmelo Anthony over the April 2025 death of Austin Metcalf drew national attention, sparking a debate about self-defence and school safety. Both were 17 at the time of the incident.

Prosecutors argued that Anthony threatened Metcalf before he intentionally killed him, while defence lawyers argued that Anthony was acting in self-defence.

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The young men were at a secondary school track meet when the incident happened.

Metcalf’s death was the result of a dispute that escalated between the two rival secondary schools, according to police reports.

Students testified at the trial about the heated exchange between the two, describing a rainy day on which Anthony refused to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team.

Though Anthony was 17 at the time of the murder on 2 April 2025, under Texas law, he was able to be charged as an adult.