Karmelo Anthony filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday, one day after a Texas jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison for murdering Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco. In a one-page filing, Anthony said he could not afford an attorney for the appeal and asked the court to appoint one.
The filing keeps alive a case that has already consumed Frisco and drawn national attention. Anthony was convicted Tuesday in the killing of Metcalf, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School, after jurors took three hours to reach their guilty verdict and then returned later in the day to decide punishment. Jeff Metcalf has spoken about the case after the sentencing, as the family continues to live with the result of the April 2, 2025 stabbing.
The deadly encounter unfolded at a Frisco Independent School District stadium during a rainy track and field competition involving multiple schools. Witnesses said Anthony was under Metcalf's school tent and had been told to leave about 15 times. One witness said Anthony warned, “Touch me and see what happens,” while another said Metcalf replied, “I'm not going to fight you.” Witnesses testified that Metcalf shoved or nudged Anthony before Anthony stabbed him with a pocket knife.
The blade pierced Metcalf's right ventricle. He was taken to an area hospital and later pronounced dead. Prosecutors called the stabbing “senseless” and “plain and simple murder,” while the defense said Anthony acted in self-defense. That split is now central to whatever comes next in the appellate process.
Anthony was transferred after sentencing to the Wallace Pack Unit near Navasota, outside Houston, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice released a new photo showing him with a shaven head and wearing a sleeveless tunic. The case has also been marked by online misinformation, including fake autopsy reports and a fake social-media account impersonating the Frisco police chief, and supporters of Anthony and Metcalf clashed outside the Collin County Courthouse on Tuesday.
Anthony's appeal now turns on a practical question the court has not yet answered: whether he will get appointed counsel, and what arguments his lawyers will make against a conviction that came after a swift jury verdict and a much longer fight over punishment.
