A Collin County jury has sentenced Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison for the 2025 killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

Jurors reached the sentence after roughly two and a half hours of deliberation, bringing a closely watched case into its final stage. Anthony faced a punishment range of five to 99 years, or life imprisonment, under Texas law.

During the sentencing phase, both the prosecution and defense waived opening statements. Prosecutors also chose not to call witnesses, while the defense called only one: Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes.

Taking the stand, Hayes described her son in emotional terms.

“He’s my oldest, he’s my firstborn,” she said. “He will always be my baby. I love him very much.”

When asked whether her son showed remorse, she responded, “Yes, he’s very sorry for what he did.”

In its closing argument, the prosecution urged jurors to focus on the impact of the crime on the victim and his family.

“Austin Metcalf was a son. Austin Metcalf was a brother,” the prosecutor said. “I’m going to ask you to consider the age of the victim in this case… nothing you do with your verdict will take more from Karmelo Anthony than it did from the Metcalfs.”

The state also pointed to the emotional toll on the victim’s family, referencing an image shown during trial proceedings from a Frisco ISD track meet where coaches were seen praying over Metcalf as he fought for his life. In the courtroom gallery, Austin Metcalf’s brother, Hunter Metcalf, was visibly shaken, lowering his head into his hands.

The defense, meanwhile, focused on the argument that Anthony acted in “sudden passion,” claiming the stabbing occurred in a moment of terror and without time for reflection.

“We respect your verdict, and we respect your role,” defense attorneys told the jury in closing statements. They also emphasized the emotional weight of the decision, urging jurors to consider both sides of the case.

According to the defense, if jurors believed Anthony acted in a split-second emotional response, the charge could have been reduced to a second-degree felony, carrying a sentence of 2 to 20 years. They argued that such a finding would change how the law interprets the incident.

“This is not about blaming the victim,” the defense said, maintaining that Anthony’s actions should be evaluated in context of fear and panic.

The jury had already found Anthony guilty of murder earlier in the week, following several days of testimony. Witnesses included students who saw the confrontation, investigators, medical experts, and character witnesses.

Prosecutors said Anthony and Metcalf did not know each other before the incident. The confrontation reportedly began near a team tent area during the meet at Kuykendall Stadium on April 2, 2025, before Anthony allegedly stabbed Metcalf once in the chest.

Metcalf was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries.

With the sentence now delivered, the case concludes a trial that drew national attention and sparked wider debate about youth violence, self-defense claims, and safety at school sporting events.