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.
The death penalty was not considered, as Anthony was a minor at the time of Metcalf's death.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, concentrating their evidence on eye-witness testimonies.
One of the most emotional testimonies came from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Elizabeth Ventura, who described a large, gaping wound in Metcalf's chest and said the knife had pierced his heart.
The prosecution's student witnesses described Anthony as the aggressor.
The defence also called multiple witnesses, including students and track coach Adam Linwood, who said Anthony had been nominated for the role of team captain.
Anthony did well in school, with near-perfect grades that gave him a 4.0 grade point average (GPA), according to a Dallas-area NBC News affiliate.
The two young men did not attend the same school and had no prior connection, prosecutors said.
Anthony did not testify during the trial but his mother took the stand during the sentencing portion and said her son was sorry as she asked for mercy.
On Tuesday, the Texas jury reached a guilty verdict in less than three hours.
The judge had allowed them to consider lesser charges of manslaughter, which would have carried a shorter sentence of up to 20 years in prison, but they did not choose it.
The tragedy flooded social media, with some making the case about race – Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. But lawyers for both sides told the jury the killing was not about race.
The civil rights organisation Next Generation Action Network, which had advocated for Anthony, noted that not one juror was black.
"Our community has carried the weight of this tragedy for more than a year, and our thoughts remain with the impacted families, friends and classmates," the Frisco School District said in a statement after the verdict.
We respect the judicial process and will continue to support our students with compassion and care. We know this trial has brought strong emotions and deep grief, and we ask that our community continue to support each other with respect, sensitivity and understanding."
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