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Verdict and sentencing
A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf, according to reporting that the murder took place after Anthony entered the Memorial High School track team’s tent in Frisco.
“A Texas congresswoman is leading the voice of online activists enraged over the guilty verdict in Karmelo Anthony's murder trial, and is spreading outright lies and racially inflammatory rhetoric after the 19-year-old was sentenced to 35 years in prison for stabbing Austin Metcalf to death”
TMZ said Rep. Jasmine Crockett asked a blunt question about whether the outcome would be the same if Anthony “was white and his victim was Black,” and it described her argument that the jury did not have a single Black juror.
The Washington Times reported that Crockett made remarks during her podcast “Clock It with Crockett,” saying, “Well, I would argue the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon,” while discussing the knife described in court records.
Fox News reported that Crockett claimed she was “not necessarily convinced” that the jury had “12 impartial White folk out of Collin County,” and it said sources close to the trial confirmed the jury was not only white.
Fox News also said the jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning a guilty verdict on the single charge of first-degree murder, rejecting a lesser manslaughter option.
Crockett’s podcast backlash
Crockett faced criticism for comments on her podcast “Clock It with Crockett,” where Hindustan Times reported she discussed a hypothetical self-defense scenario that implied she would have responded with stabbing if placed in a similar situation.
Hindustan Times quoted Crockett saying, “If a 300-pound man is beating me… I’m not limited to fists,” while discussing the knife described in court records.
The Washington Times reported that Crockett suggested the folding knife Anthony used to fatally stab 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was not a “deadly weapon” due to its size, and it quoted her again: “Well, I would argue the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon.”
Fox News said Crockett also compared Black women in America to the Metcalf family, quoting her: “Black women, especially black women who have black male children, live in fear and agony every single day,” and it said Stephen Miller branded the comment as “psychotic” on X.
Fox News added that Dominique Alexander, a local Black Lives Matter activist involved with the Anthony family since Karmelo’s arrest, said, “What this process did is show that black lives do not matter in Collin County.”
Race, jury claims, and fallout
TMZ said Crockett argued that Anthony’s claim that he was afraid during the fatal confrontation at a high school track meet was “largely dismissed,” and it said she questioned whether jurors would have viewed the situation differently if the races were reversed.
Fox News said Crockett’s jury claim was “patently false,” and it stated that “Of the 12 jurors, three were racial minorities, including Asian and Indian,” while also saying eight were women and four were men.
Fox News reported that Crockett surmised the jury convicted Anthony because residents of Collin County are upset that “so many black folk are moving up there in the first place,” and it said her office did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Washington Times reported that prosecutors argued Anthony provoked the confrontation and that multiple witnesses described him as the aggressor, with Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye telling jurors, “This is not self-defense, folks. It’s murder plain and simple.”
TMZ added that Anthony filed a notice of appeal, and it described the case as involving a Collin County jury finding Anthony guilty of murder and sentencing him to 35 years behind bars.
