The father of murdered teenager Austin Metcalf made a heartbreaking five-word demand to his son’s convicted killer.
Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of murdering high school athlete Austin Metcalf.
The 19-year-old broke down in tears as the sentence was handed down in a Texas courtroom on Tuesday (June 9), where Austin’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements directly to him.
Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Credit: Frisco Police Department
‘Look me in the eyes’
One of the most powerful moments in the courtroom came when Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, demanded that Anthony look at him as he described the devastation caused by his son’s death.
“You’re going to prison,” Jeff told Anthony, per Daily Mail. “You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f**king son in the heart.”
Anthony kept his head down as Austin’s 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.
“If you ask me what my son’s death did to me, I would tell you it destroyed the person I used to be. Not changed me, destroyed me,” Jeff told the courtroom.
The grieving father said he forgave Anthony “the day it happened” but would never forgive “what you did.”
He also spoke about missing out on seeing his son grow up and admitted he wished he had been there to protect him.
“People think that grief is sadness but it’s not. It’s rage! Pure unfiltered rage,” Jeff shouted. “My son’s death didn’t just break my heart… It destroyed my sense of safety, my faith in people.”
The father also rejected suggestions that the case was about race, telling the court it was instead about accountability.
“We’re all humans. We all bleed the same color,” he said, before turning back to Anthony, and adding: “You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.
“You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don’t belong in this community,” he added.
Austin Metcalf was killed. Credit: GoFundMe
Austin’s twin brother speaks directly to Anthony
Austin’s identical twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, also asked Anthony to make eye contact with him.
“If you could just look me in the eye while I speak, I would really respect that,” he said.
Anthony continued looking down as Hunter described the future that had been stolen from his family.
“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world,” he said. “You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you.”
Hunter said Anthony had let “the devil” take over during the confrontation.
“Eventually your name will be forgotten, but my brother’s memory will live on,” he continued. “I always say ‘An eye for an eye,’ but you still have air to breathe while my brother is six feet under.”
He also shared how his mother cries herself to sleep and how he wakes up every day to find Austin’s bedroom door still shut.
Austin’s mother, Meghan Metcalf, told the court she had been left “crushed” by her son’s death.
“Seeing my loving son, his identical twin, lose the most important person in his life, it crushes you as a mother,” she said.
She described Austin as a teenager who brought people together. “He was the peacemaker, the protector,” she added.
Addressing Anthony directly, she said: “There 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’s the love that I can continue to have in my heart.
“He was taken from us just as he was starting to really live,” she continued. “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.”
The late Austin Metcalf with his father. Credit: GoFundMe
Jury rejects attempt to reduce sentence
Anthony faced between five and 99 years in prison after being found guilty of murder.
His lawyers argued that he acted under “sudden passion,” a legal defense in Texas that can reduce the severity of a sentence.
Defense attorney Mike Howard claimed Anthony “didn’t have time for cool reflection,” arguing: “He acted in that moment and sudden passion applies.”
But prosecutor Bill Wirskye disagreed. “Sudden passion doesn’t fit here. They’ve got it wrong,” he said. “Sudden passion is when the victim, the dead person provokes. Who caused this? Not Austin Metcalf, Karmelo Anthony did.”
Jurors ultimately rejected the argument before sentencing Anthony to 35 years behind bars.
What happened to Austin Metcalf?
Prosecutors said the late teenager was stabbed during an argument under a tent at a high school track meet in Frisco.
Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense, but witnesses testified that he was the aggressor and told Austin: “Touch me and see what happens.”
According to testimony, Austin pushed Anthony before Anthony pulled out a folding knife and stabbed him once in the chest.
A medical examiner testified that the knife pierced Austin’s chest bone and punctured the right side of his heart.
Jurors were also shown police body camera footage of Hunter desperately trying to save his brother.
Anthony will have to serve at least half of his 35 year sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
