The Texas teenager accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet will be tried as an adult, officials confirmed this week. Prosecutors say 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony is facing a first-degree murder charge in the shocking case that has stirred emotions across the state and reignited debate over juvenile justice.
Authorities say the incident unfolded last month when Metcalf reportedly asked Anthony to move from a seat he wasn’t assigned to during a track event. The confrontation escalated rapidly, according to police, ending in a deadly stabbing that left Metcalf dead at the scene. In a chilling statement recorded in the arrest affidavit, Anthony allegedly told investigators, “I did it.”
Texas law allows for minors as young as 16 to be charged as adults in certain cases, and Collin County prosecutors have exercised that option in Anthony’s case. The Collin County District Attorney’s Office—based just north of Dallas—is now preparing to present evidence to a grand jury, which will decide whether to proceed with a formal indictment for murder or possibly a lesser charge, such as manslaughter.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Anthony faces the possibility of life in prison with parole eligibility after 40 years. He cannot receive the death penalty or life without parole, as the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited such sentences for crimes committed by individuals under the age of 18.
“You can’t seek the death penalty, and you can’t sentence a 17-year-old to life without parole, even if you wanted to,” District Attorney Greg Willis said, according to The New York Post.
Anthony was initially held on a $1 million bond, but a judge later reduced that amount to $250,000 and placed him under house arrest at his parents’ residence.
The case drew further scrutiny earlier this month when it was revealed Anthony had been permitted to graduate from high school while under house arrest. That decision left the victim’s family reeling.
Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father, said his attempts to get answers from Frisco Independent School District officials were met with silence.
“I’ve been stonewalled,” Metcalf told CBS News. “Sad, you know. I understand the protocol. They said I have to make an appointment, which I did.”
Metcalf said he was particularly disturbed after reading the district’s own policy guidelines on expulsion and graduation, raising questions about how Anthony was allowed to complete his coursework and receive a diploma while awaiting trial for murder.
“There may have been an agreement to allow him to finish his education at home,” Metcalf acknowledged. “But still, I’d like to understand how they reached that decision.”
The situation sparked a growing online movement to award Austin Metcalf an honorary diploma. While Jeff Metcalf appreciated the sentiment, he said it also brought a wave of painful emotions.
“It would be great—his name would be called right before his brother’s,” he said. “But it won’t bring my son back. So part of me thinks maybe Mr. Anthony shouldn’t get one either.”
As the legal proceedings continue, the community remains on edge, grappling with the devastating loss of a young life and the complex questions surrounding accountability, justice, and closure.
