A Texas jury reached a major decision in the case against Karmelo Anthony for the death of Austin Metcalf. The ruling came after jurors rejected a self-defense claim and declined to find that the killing occurred under what Texas law calls “sudden passion.”Was Karmelo Anthony acting in self-defense, or did prosecutors prove that his use of force was not legally justified? That question sat at the center of a trial at the Collin County Courthouse, where jurors ultimately convicted him of murder, rejected a request for a reduced sentence, and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.Jurors spent less than three hours deliberating after hearing sharply different accounts of the confrontation that took place during a high school track meet on April 2, 2025.According to NBC DFW, Karmelo admitted to fatally stabbing Frisco student Austin Metcalf during the encounter. Karmelo and Austin were both 17 years old at the time. Karmelo is now 19.

Before the jury began deliberating, prosecutors and defense attorneys spent the trial’s final hours presenting competing explanations for what happened and whether Karmelo’s actions were legally justified.The final day of the trial began shortly after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, with a dispute over what jurors would be allowed to consider.Judge John Roach addressed proposed jury instructions, including a legal doctrine known as “provoking the difficulty.” The doctrine can limit a self-defense claim if jurors conclude that a defendant intentionally provoked a confrontation.Defense attorney Mike Howard objected to including that instruction, but Judge Roach denied the request and allowed it to remain in the jury charge.The judge also declined to include criminally negligent homicide as a possible verdict. He did, however, approve manslaughter as a lesser included offense.