There is no longer a question of whether Karmelo Anthony killed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, nor is there a question of whether a jury believed Anthony's claim that the killing was justified.

Anthony was tried before a jury of his peers. Jurors heard his defense, rejected his claim of self-defense, convicted him of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Now his attempt to get another trial has failed.

On Saturday, August 22, retired Judge Michael Chitty denied Anthony's motion for a new trial, leaving both his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence intact. His attorneys can continue fighting through the appellate courts, but today Karmelo Anthony is not an accused murderer.

He is a convicted murderer.

And some of the most disturbing information about him was never even heard by the jury that convicted him.

Austin Metcalf Went to a Track Meet and Never Came Home

On April 2, 2025, Austin Metcalf attended a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony was beneath a tent designated for athletes from Metcalf's school and was asked to leave.

A confrontation followed. Metcalf eventually pushed Anthony, and Anthony responded by pulling a knife from his backpack and stabbing the 17-year-old once in the chest. Austin's twin brother, Hunter, was there as his brother died.

Anthony didn't deny stabbing him. Police body-camera evidence captured Anthony telling officers that Metcalf had put his hands on him and that he was protecting himself. When an officer referred to Anthony as an alleged suspect, Anthony responded in a way that effectively eliminated the word "alleged" himself. He acknowledged what he had done.

The legal question at trial was whether Anthony was justified in using deadly force against Metcalf.

A jury decided he wasn't.

The Jury Rejected Anthony's Story

Anthony's defense presented the killing as self-defense. Jurors heard about the confrontation, knew Metcalf pushed Anthony and knew Anthony claimed he feared for himself. They nevertheless convicted Anthony of murder and declined the opportunity to reduce his responsibility to manslaughter.

Anthony himself chose not to testify. After the conviction, he received a 35-year prison sentence.

That verdict matters because, for more than a year, this case was surrounded by competing narratives, activists, racial politics, online campaigns and an enormous fundraising effort supporting Anthony and his family. Eventually, 12 jurors were given something social media didn't have: the evidence presented in a courtroom under the rules of a criminal trial.

They found him guilty.

Then We Learned What the Jury Didn't Hear

Ironically, Anthony's effort to overturn his conviction has helped expose disturbing information about him that prosecutors did not present to the jury.

During proceedings surrounding his request for a new trial, prosecutors described evidence involving Anthony's behavior before he killed Metcalf. That reportedly included allegations involving stalking an ex-girlfriend and disturbing communications concerning violence. One previously withheld 2023 message reportedly involved Anthony threatening to shoot up his school.

These allegations were not necessary to secure Anthony's conviction because the jury never heard them.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys had sought to keep potentially inflammatory character evidence away from the original trial and focus jurors on what happened at the track meet. Whatever one thinks about that decision, it makes the ultimate verdict particularly significant: jurors didn't need Anthony's alleged history to convict him. They judged what happened beneath that tent and concluded he committed murder.

More Than $630,000 Raised

Then there is the money.

While Austin Metcalf's family was preparing to bury their 17-year-old son, an enormous online fundraising campaign developed around the teenager accused of killing him. Anthony's family's GiveSendGo campaign ultimately collected more than $630,000.

GiveSendGo later said the funds were used for Anthony's legal defense as well as living and moving expenses for his family. The Anthony family did relocate after the killing, saying threats and harassment forced them from their previous residence.

There were also widely circulated reports concerning the family's housing and vehicles. Claims that fundraiser money directly purchased a particular home or vehicle have been disputed, and without documentation establishing the financial trail, IRC Media will not present that specific allegation as fact.

We don't need to. The confirmed number speaks loudly enough.

More than $630,000 was raised for Anthony and his family.

The fundraiser was eventually removed following his murder conviction.

And Still They Wanted Another Trial

Anthony's attorneys argued that he deserved another trial, raising concerns about courtroom restrictions, decisions made during the original proceeding and an informal understanding between attorneys concerning what character evidence would and would not be introduced.

The original trial judge, John Roach Jr., was ultimately removed from deciding the post-trial motion after publicly defending his rulings and saying the jury "got it right." That presented a legitimate judicial issue requiring review, and it received one.

A different judge considered Anthony's request for a new trial.

On Saturday, that judge said no.

The conviction stands.

Austin Doesn't Get Another Chance

There is something deeply unsettling about watching a murder case gradually become more about the murderer than the person he killed.

Anthony had lawyers, a defense and extraordinary financial support. He received a trial and was permitted to argue self-defense before a jury. When that jury rejected his defense, his attorneys sought another trial. Appellate options remain available to him.

Austin Metcalf gets none of those things.

There is no retrial that brings Austin back and no appeal from what happened beneath that tent. His mother doesn't get another morning with her son. His father doesn't get another conversation with him. Hunter Metcalf doesn't get his twin brother back.

At sentencing, Hunter confronted the man convicted of killing his brother and described Austin not merely as his twin, but as his best friend — the person who should have someday been an uncle to his children.

That future disappeared in seconds.

Remember Austin Metcalf

America has spent an enormous amount of time talking about Karmelo Anthony: his defense, his fundraising, his family, his supporters, his attorneys, his sentence and now his attempts to overturn his conviction.

Perhaps it's time to spend more time remembering the person whose life actually ended.

Austin Metcalf was 17 years old. He went to a high school track meet and confronted someone who had been asked to leave his team's tent. Minutes later, Austin was dying from a knife wound while his twin brother was beside him.

A jury heard the evidence and found the man who stabbed him guilty of murder. That convicted murderer asked for another trial.

On Saturday, a judge told him no. The verdict stands.

Austin Metcalf deserves to be remembered as more than the name attached to Karmelo Anthony's case.

IRC Media uses aggregated public data and verified sources; articles reviewed by editorial team to the best of our ability.