Austin Metcalf, left, and Karmelo Anthony

High-school track athlete Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday in the stabbing death of competitor Austin Metcalf at a Texas high-school track meet last year.

The jury rejected a lesser charge of manslaughter, and could sentence Anthony to life in prison at a future date.

The defense had claimed Anthony stabbed Metcalf in self-defense in April 2025 after Anthony wrongly entered another team’s tent at the competition.

“SAY HIS NAME: KARMELO”

Literally protesting at the courthouse for the killer as if he’s the victim of a racist attack pic.twitter.com/okOnwR7w6P

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 9, 2026

Defense attorneys told jurors Metcalf had no legal right to put his hands on Anthony, as he urged him to leave the tent.

Prosecutors told jurors the case was simple coming down to: “You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoked the shove.”

🚨 NOW: BLACK PANTHERS are attempting to launch a RACE WAR outside the Collin County Courthouse after Karmelo Anthony was found GUILTY

“We got to tell our kids the truth that this is a RACIST-ASS COUNTRY We gotta tell them the truth.”

“THIS IS A WAR”

“Don’t NOBODY want to hear… pic.twitter.com/MoCQSQRQlE

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 9, 2026

In closing arguments, the prosecutor said: “You can meet deadly force with deadly force in Texas, but you can’t meet force, a shove, with deadly force, a stab. Size, it doesn’t work in this case. You don’t get to kill someone just because they are bigger than you.”

Former New York police detective Paul Mauro stressed on Fox News that Anthony “was repeatedly asked to leave.”

“He told the police [and] numerous witnesses heard it that he said that he (Metcalf) put his hands on me. He didn’t say he threatened my life, they ganged up on me, [or] they said they were going to kill me.”

“The defense went to trial with an extremely weak case,” Mauro concluded.

Unhinged Karmelo Anthony supporters perform a tribal dance outside the courthouse ahead of the verdict being read.

WTF is this? pic.twitter.com/W1loCHWxL5

— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) June 9, 2026

“It’s turned into a race issue,” said Brooke Taylor of Fox News, reporting outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas. “This verdict came in really quick.”

On Monday, prosecutors had asked several defense witnesses if this were indeed a case of self-defense, with the answer being no.

Live outside the Karmelo Anthony murder trial. The defense is expected to call more witnesses today after one of its own witnesses testified during cross-examination that “Karmelo was in the wrong” and provoked the confrontation. pic.twitter.com/0n2QNEr82Z

— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) June 8, 2026

Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews

Damning testimony: Defense witness blows up Karmelo Anthony teen murder trial