A Texas Judge Just Said Something Surprising About the Teen Who Killed Austin Metcalf
Karmelo Anthony cried as a Collin County jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Days later, the judge who presided over his trial said something many didn’t expect.
The Verdict That Shook a Courtroom
On June 9, a jury in McKinney, Texas, found 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder. He was 17 when he stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf once in the chest during a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, on April 2, 2025, according to NBC News. Jurors deliberated for about three hours before reaching the verdict, then took roughly two and a half more hours to settle on punishment, CBS News Texas reported.
He faced anywhere from five years to life. They gave him 35.
A Judge Speaks His Mind
Judge John Roach Jr., who has spent more than two decades on the bench, sat down with WFAA after the trial ended. Asked whether the jury made the right call, he didn’t hesitate.
“Yes they did, because they were picked based upon the law, they listened to the facts, it happened in this courtroom, and they got a verdict,” Roach said, according to WFAA.
But it was his next comment that caught people off guard. Describing Anthony’s demeanor, Roach said the teen “seems like a nice young man who committed a crime and he understands today more than any day before the consequences of committing a crime like he did.”
Roach also defended his decision to bar cameras from the courtroom throughout the trial, a move that fueled online speculation. “I know I made people mad, but I’m not here to make them happy either,” he told WFAA.
The Knife, the Tent, and Three Hours of Deliberation
Prosecutors said the confrontation began under a team tent during a rainy track meet, after Anthony, then a student at Frisco Centennial High School, sat under the tent belonging to Metcalf’s school, Frisco Memorial. A school resource officer testified that after the stabbing, Anthony said he had warned Metcalf not to touch him — but also asked officers whether Metcalf would be okay, according to NBC News.
The defense argued self-defense and “sudden passion,” saying Anthony, at 5’8″ and 140 pounds, was confronted by Metcalf and his twin brother Hunter, both over 6 feet tall. Prosecutors countered that Anthony discarded the knife and tried to blend into the fleeing crowd — behavior they said didn’t match a self-defense claim.
The jury wasn’t persuaded. They rejected the “sudden passion” argument, which could have capped his sentence at 20 years.
A Mother’s Words That Cut Through Everything
During victim impact statements, Austin’s mother, Meghan, spoke directly to Anthony. She described her son as a “morning kid” and a “hugger” who “always had a way of bringing people together,” then delivered the line that’s now spreading across social media: “You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years behind bars, but you can consider yourself lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.”
Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, was the only witness called during the punishment phase. “He’s my oldest, he’s my firstborn,” she told jurors, according to CBS News Texas. “He will always be my baby. I love him very much.” Asked if her son regretted what he did, she answered simply: “Yes.”
What We Know

Karmelo Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf, 17, on April 2, 2025.
The jury rejected a “sudden passion” defense that could have reduced the sentence to a maximum of 20 years.
Judge John Roach Jr. publicly defended the verdict and described Anthony as “a nice young man who committed a crime.”
Anthony filed a notice of appeal one day after sentencing and was transferred to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility.
He becomes eligible for parole after serving 17.5 years.
A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Anthony’s family, which had raised more than $635,000, was closed by the platform following the conviction.

Why This Matters
This case has become a flashpoint for a much bigger national conversation — about how the justice system treats teenagers, how race shapes public perception of self-defense claims, and how a single decision under a tent at a high school track meet can permanently alter two families forever. For many, the judge’s comments raise an uncomfortable question: can someone be both a “nice young man” and a convicted murderer — and what does that mean for how society judges accountability versus character?
The Fight Isn’t Over
Anthony’s legal team has already filed to appeal. Whatever comes next, one fact remains unchanged for the Metcalf family: Austin won’t be coming home. As his mother put it in court, some sentences last far longer than the ones a judge can hand down.

This story involves violence and the death of a minor. If you or someone you know is struggling with grief or trauma related to violence, support is available through community mental health resources.