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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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Clashes broke out between demonstrators outside a Texas courthouse on Tuesday after Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murder in the stabbing of Austin Metcalf last year.
Anthony, now 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. The verdict marked a decisive turn in a case that has drawn intense public scrutiny over self‑defense, youth violence and racial tension.
Following the verdict, clashes erupted between opposing groups outside the Collin County courthouse in McKinney. Footage circulating on social media showed crowds chanting and brief physical altercations as tensions spilled over.
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The Collin County Sheriff’s Office told Newsweek the courthouse parking lot was cleared under a court order issued by Judge John Roach, with deputies responsible for implementing the order and providing security.
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Testimony and police records show that the confrontation between Anthony and Metcalf unfolded in minutes under a crowded stadium tent, ending with a single stab wound to Metcalf’s chest and Anthony immediately surrendering to officers, telling them: "I was protecting myself."
Witnesses testified that the two teenagers did not know each other before the encounter, which lasted only minutes before turning deadly.
Anthony was convicted unanimously on Tuesday after jurors deliberated for less than three hours. It followed a week of conflicting testimony about whether the stabbing was a "provoked unjustified murder," as prosecutors argued, or a split‑second act of self‑defense, as the defense maintained.
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The sentencing phase concluded later the same day, with jurors handing down a 35-year prison term. They rejected arguments that the killing occurred under "sudden passion,” a finding that could have reduced the severity of the charge and lowered the potential sentence.
Emotions ran high inside the courtroom as the verdict and sentence were delivered. Members of Metcalf’s family addressed Anthony directly in victim impact statements, describing the long-term impact of the loss.
His father told the court the family had been "robbed” of their son’s future, while his twin brother said: "You took a son, a brother, a friend…Now I want everything taken from you.”
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Anthony appeared visibly emotional during the proceedings, at times crying as family members spoke and as the sentence was announced.
Outside the courthouse, those tensions spilled into the street. Opposing groups of demonstrators gathered in the hours after the verdict, with shouting matches, chanting and brief physical confrontations reported near the courthouse entrance.
Some of the protesters raised concerns about whether the case had been treated fairly. One issue raised was that the attorneys selected 12 jurors and six alternates in the trial, none of whom were Black. Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white.
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Social media posts from people at the scene suggest police intervened to disperse parts of the crowd around the courthouse, and formed physical barriers between demonstrators. Newsweek has not independently verified the timing or specifics of those claims.
Court records show that the judge had already imposed strict security controls and restricted access to parts of the courthouse grounds, giving authorities broad powers to manage crowds.
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The sheriff’s office told Newsweek the parking lot closure was carried out without incident, and that no arrests, citations or detentions were made in connection with the clearing of the area.
Deputies did make two arrests earlier in the day—one for public intoxication and one on a warrant for unlawful carrying of a weapon—but officials said those were unrelated to the courthouse clearing.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether Anthony will appeal the conviction, but the case is expected to continue drawing attention in the weeks ahead.
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