The courtroom verdict may have ended Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial, but outside the Collin County courthouse, emotions continued to boil over.

Anthony, the 19-year-old accused of fatally stabbing Frisco teenager Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet last year, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a Collin County jury on Tuesday. Moments after the verdict was announced inside the courthouse in McKinney, demonstrators gathered outside erupted in anger, accusing the justice system of bias.

The jury unanimously agreed that Anthony was guilty of the first-degree murder charge stemming from the April 2025 stabbing. Jurors will now move on to the punishment phase, where they will decide how long he will spend in prison.

According to reporters inside the courtroom, Anthony broke down in tears as the verdict was read. He was later escorted from the courtroom while his mother, Kala Hayes, remained in her seat sobbing.

Earlier in the proceedings, Hayes took the stand as the only witness called by the defense. Fighting back tears, she told jurors that her son was “very sorry” for what happened and pleaded for mercy as they considered his future.

Because Anthony was a minor at the time of the stabbing, prosecutors were not permitted to seek the death penalty.

Anthony now faces a possible sentence ranging from five to 99 years in prison under Texas law.

Judge John Roach Jr. had instructed jurors that they could also consider the lesser charge of manslaughter if they believed the evidence supported it. Instead, the panel returned a guilty verdict on the more serious first-degree murder charge.

Supporters carrying signs reading “Justice for Karmelo Anthony” pushed toward barricades as law enforcement officers attempted to maintain order around the courthouse grounds.

According to reports, confrontations broke out between demonstrators and police following the verdict. Video footage shared from the scene showed tense exchanges and chaotic moments as crowds reacted to the jury’s decision. Some reports indicated arrests may have occurred during the unrest, although authorities had not immediately released full details.

Local media reported that supporters began gathering outside the courthouse around noon while jurors were still deliberating. The crowd grew throughout the afternoon before tensions escalated shortly after the verdict was delivered at approximately 2:30 p.m., following more than three hours of jury deliberations.

Television footage captured heated confrontations among protesters as reactions to the guilty verdict spread through the crowd.

The high-profile case stemmed from the April 2, 2025 fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during an inter-school track meet at Frisco ISD Stadium.

Anthony, then a student-athlete at Centennial High School, was accused of stabbing Metcalf, a Memorial High School student, after an altercation near a team tent during the competition.

According to court records, the confrontation began near Anthony’s team’s tent area and escalated into violence, ending with Metcalf suffering a fatal stab wound.

The trial unfolded under a gag order and featured several days of testimony before jurors began deliberating.

Prosecutors argued that the stabbing was an unjustified and senseless killing, urging jurors to convict Anthony of murder. Defense attorney Mike Howard countered that his client acted in self-defense and feared for his safety during the confrontation.

Jurors ultimately sided with prosecutors and returned a guilty verdict.

A total of 21 witnesses testified during the trial, including numerous students who were present when the incident occurred. Witness testimony played a central role in the case because surveillance footage from the stadium did not capture the actual stabbing.

Both Anthony’s family and Metcalf’s family were present in court when the verdict was announced.

Reports indicated that Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, was among the key witnesses called by the defense. However, neither family immediately issued a public statement following the verdict.

The trial also included graphic evidence detailing Metcalf’s fatal injuries, with jurors hearing disturbing testimony about the stabbing that shocked many people inside the courtroom.

Although Anthony has now been convicted of first-degree murder, jurors had not yet determined his final sentence at the time of the verdict.

Under Texas law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a possible punishment ranging from five years to life in prison, leaving Anthony’s future in the hands of the same jury that found him guilty in the death of Austin Metcalf.