Overview
- A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of first‑degree murder on June 9, 2026 and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the April 2, 2025 stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
- A judge made surveillance video, police bodycam footage, 911 calls and crime scene photos public in mid‑June, and those exhibits include bodycam audio of Anthony saying both “I did it” and that the victim “put his hands on me.”
- Anthony filed a notice of appeal and a pauper’s oath claiming he cannot afford counsel, and he has been transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit to begin serving his sentence.
- Six prominent civil‑rights and criminal defense lawyers announced they will represent Anthony pro bono and say they will press appellate claims that focus on jury selection, courtroom rulings and other procedural errors.
- The public release of evidence has intensified social media debate, with supporters saying the footage shows self‑defense and fact‑checkers warning about edited clips, but jurors who saw the same materials convicted Anthony at trial.