Karmelo Anthony has filed an appeal one day after his June 9 conviction for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in Frisco, Texas. His sentence is 35 years, and court records now show the case is “appealed.”
Karmelo Anthony knew the verdict had landed on June 9—then, the next day, he and his attorneys moved straight to appeal.
Court records show the notice of appeal was filed on June 10, one day after Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. As of June 11, the status of the case was listed as “appealed.”
Anthony was 17 at the time of the stabbing. The killing occurred at a 2025 high school track meet and shocked the affluent community outside Dallas, inflaming racial tensions.
A Collin County jury found Anthony guilty on June 9 and sentenced him to 35 years. The sentencing range the jury faced extended from two years to life in prison.
The two teens attended rival schools. Anthony was a student at Centennial High School, while Metcalf attended rival Memorial High School.
Anthony’s legal team argued the stabbing was self-defense. His attorneys said he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense on April 2, 2025.
Prosecutors disputed that account. They said Anthony started a confrontation in a tent at the track meet, provoking Metcalf into shoving him, and then stabbed Metcalf.
Defense attorney Mike Howard said Anthony’s team filed the notice of appeal after court concluded on June 9. “We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American,” Howard said.
For now, the case is in the appellate phase, with the conviction and 35-year sentence awaiting review. The dispute over who initiated the confrontation—and whether the stabbing was self-defense or a result of a provoked escalation—will remain at the center of Anthony’s challenge as the process moves forward.
Karmelo Anthony Austin Metcalf Frisco Texas track meet stabbing appeal Collin County murder conviction 35 years