The father of murdered teenager Austin Metcalf made a heartbreaking five-word demand to his son\u2019s convicted killer.<\/p>\n
Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of murdering high school athlete Austin Metcalf.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old broke down in tears as the sentence was handed down in a Texas courtroom on Tuesday (June 9), where Austin\u2019s family delivered emotional victim impact statements directly to him.<\/p>\n
Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Credit: Frisco Police Department<\/p>\n
\u2018Look me in the eyes\u2019
\nOne of the most powerful moments in the courtroom came when Austin\u2019s father, Jeff Metcalf, demanded that Anthony look at him as he described the devastation caused by his son\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to prison,\u201d Jeff told Anthony, per Daily Mail. \u201cYou can\u2019t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f**king son in the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anthony kept his head down as Austin\u2019s loved ones continued to speak about the impact of losing the 17-year-old, who was fatally stabbed during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you ask me what my son\u2019s death did to me, I would tell you it destroyed the person I used to be. Not changed me, destroyed me,\u201d Jeff told the courtroom.<\/p>\n
The grieving father said he forgave Anthony \u201cthe day it happened\u201d but would never forgive \u201cwhat you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also spoke about missing out on seeing his son grow up and admitted he wished he had been there to protect him.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think that grief is sadness but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s rage! Pure unfiltered rage,\u201d Jeff shouted. \u201cMy son\u2019s death didn\u2019t just break my heart\u2026 It destroyed my sense of safety, my faith in people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The father also rejected suggestions that the case was about race, telling the court it was instead about accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all humans. We all bleed the same color,\u201d he said, before turning back to Anthony, and adding: \u201cYou\u2019re free to make choices all you want, but you\u2019re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don\u2019t belong in this community,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Austin Metcalf was killed. Credit: GoFundMe<\/p>\n
Austin\u2019s twin brother speaks directly to Anthony
\nAustin\u2019s identical twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, also asked Anthony to make eye contact with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you could just look me in the eye while I speak, I would really respect that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Anthony continued looking down as Hunter described the future that had been stolen from his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world,\u201d he said. \u201cYou took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunter said Anthony had let \u201cthe devil\u201d take over during the confrontation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually your name will be forgotten, but my brother\u2019s memory will live on,\u201d he continued. \u201cI always say \u2018An eye for an eye,\u2019 but you still have air to breathe while my brother is six feet under.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also shared how his mother cries herself to sleep and how he wakes up every day to find Austin\u2019s bedroom door still shut.<\/p>\n
Austin\u2019s mother, Meghan Metcalf, told the court she had been left \u201ccrushed\u201d by her son\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing my loving son, his identical twin, lose the most important person in his life, it crushes you as a mother,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She described Austin as a teenager who brought people together. \u201cHe was the peacemaker, the protector,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Addressing Anthony directly, she said: \u201cThere is a part of him you can never take away from me or anyone who loves Austin. What it meant to be loved by him. It\u2019s the love that I can continue to have in my heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was taken from us just as he was starting to really live,\u201d she continued. \u201cYou may have just been given a sentence of 35 years behind bars, but you can consider yourself lucky because I\u2019ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
The late Austin Metcalf with his father. Credit: GoFundMe<\/p>\n
Jury rejects attempt to reduce sentence
\nAnthony faced between five and 99 years in prison after being found guilty of murder.<\/p>\n
His lawyers argued that he acted under \u201csudden passion,\u201d a legal defense in Texas that can reduce the severity of a sentence.<\/p>\n
Defense attorney Mike Howard claimed Anthony \u201cdidn\u2019t have time for cool reflection,\u201d arguing: \u201cHe acted in that moment and sudden passion applies.\u201d<\/p>\n
But prosecutor Bill Wirskye disagreed. \u201cSudden passion doesn\u2019t fit here. They\u2019ve got it wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cSudden passion is when the victim, the dead person provokes. Who caused this? Not Austin Metcalf, Karmelo Anthony did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jurors ultimately rejected the argument before sentencing Anthony to 35 years behind bars.<\/p>\n
What happened to Austin Metcalf?
\nProsecutors said the late teenager was stabbed during an argument under a tent at a high school track meet in Frisco.<\/p>\n
Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense, but witnesses testified that he was the aggressor and told Austin: \u201cTouch me and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to testimony, Austin pushed Anthony before Anthony pulled out a folding knife and stabbed him once in the chest.<\/p>\n
A medical examiner testified that the knife pierced Austin\u2019s chest bone and punctured the right side of his heart.<\/p>\n
Jurors were also shown police body camera footage of Hunter desperately trying to save his brother.<\/p>\n
Anthony will have to serve at least half of his 35 year sentence before becoming eligible for parole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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