A Collin County jury sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison Tuesday for the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet last year.

It came just hours after Anthony was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing. He faced up to life in prison.

Jurors had the option of finding him guilty of manslaughter or murder if they didn’t find him not guilty. The two charges are distinguished by intent. Murder means the jury believed Anthony “knowingly” caused Metcalf’s death.

During the trial’s punishment phase, Anthony’s mother Kayla Hayes asked the jury for mercy.

“He’s my oldest, he’s my first born, he will always be my baby,” she said. “I love him very much.”

She was asked if she believed her son had any regrets.

“Yes, I know my son,” she said. “He’s very sorry for what he did.”

“Please have mercy on my son,” she added.

During closing arguments in the punishment phase, Anthony’s defense attorney Mike Howard acknowledged how difficult the decision was for the jury and asked them to consider sudden passion in determining their punishment. They don’t have to be sure, he said — they only need to believe Anthony felt terror in the moment.

“I can only ask you to consider both sides, to follow your hearts, and to follow the law,” he said.

Prosecutor attorney Bill Wirskye argued in response that sudden passion, by definition, “does not apply to this case and this set of facts.”

He asked the jury to consider a life sentence, telling jurors, “mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.”

“Regardless of what you do today, plenty of life sentences have already been handed out in this case,” he said to the jury.

The decision comes after both sides rested their case Monday afternoon. Anthony’s defense lasted two days and ended without him taking the stand. Prosecutors argued the stabbing was an unjustified attack on Metcalf, while the defense said Anthony acted in self defense.

The case has drawn national attention and controversy over the race of both teens. Anthony is Black and victim was white. None of the jurors were Black.

Several schools were competing when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.

During the nearly weeklong trial, prosecutors said that Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses have testified that Anthony was the aggressor.

Anthony at one point reached inside a bag and replied: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Metcalf pushed Anthony, according to witnesses, who said Anthony then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest. The teens, both from Frisco, didn’t know each other.

The trial drew lines of spectators hoping to find seats in the gallery and unfolded amid heavy security at the Collin County courthouse. As police officers watched Tuesday, dozens of people stood outside the courthouse in 90 degree heat to await the verdict. There were wails of grief from one woman — “This isn’t real!” — when the result became known.

Got a tip? Email Emily DeMotte at edemotte@kera.org or Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.

KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.

Press Release | June 9, 2026

The Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) descends into Austin this Fourth of July weekend with the inaugural Moto-Texas Superbike Challenge.

This is a press release from CMRA…

Austin, TX (June 9, 2026) — The Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) descends into Austin this Fourth of July weekend with the inaugural Moto-Texas Superbike Challenge, the first-ever amateur sanctioned motorcycle road race event at the world-renowned Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Taking place July 3-5, 2026, the event combines high-speed superbike competition with family-friendly holiday weekend entertainment—all for a single $20 gate fee per person.
COTA, home to Formula One’s United States Grand Prix and MotoGP’s Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, provides one of the most thrilling motorcycle racing venues in the world. The 3.426-mile circuit—with its iconic sweeping corners and signature turn-one elevation change—will now host CMRA’s most prestigious race event to date.

“We are thrilled to bring CMRA’s biggest event yet to Circuit of the Americas,” said CMRA’s Dave Johnson. “COTA is a bucket-list track for any motorcycle racer, and this may be the only time amateur racers will have to compete on this world-class circuit. We can’t wait to see riders from across the country come in to compete for a share of the $25,000 purse.”

Event Highlights

• World-class venue: Race on the same track that hosts MotoGP and Formula One
• $25,000 total prize purse distributed across multiple classes. Restrictions apply.
• Double-header sprint races Saturday and Sunday (July 4th and 5th)
• Friday, July 3rd dedicated to practice and qualifying
• Spectator gate fee of just $25 per person for the entire weekend — Friday through Sunday
• On-site karting and amusement park for families
• Garages equipped with electrical hookups, compressed air, and shared restrooms

About the Competition

The Moto-Texas Superbike Challenge is open to licensed road racers from any recognized road race organization in the United States. All competitors are required to hold a current American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) membership, as the event is sanctioned by the AMA.

Sprint races of 6 and 8 laps will be held on both Saturday and Sunday, with multiple class entries available at discounted additional-entry pricing.

Pre-entries are open now at cmraracing.com, with a 20% deposit required to secure a spot. The full balance is due by June 30, 2026.

Entry fees start at $525 for Friday practice and qualifying, with sprint race entries beginning at $195.

A Family Destination on the Fourth of July

While competitors chase the checkered flag, families can enjoy COTA’s adjacent entertainment complex, featuring a karting track and amusement rides. With the $20 gate fee covering all three days, the Moto-Texas Superbike Challenge offers one of the most affordable motorsport experiences in the region — a perfect Fourth of July outing for Austin and Central Texas families.

Spectator & Competitor Information

• Event Dates: July 3–5, 2026 (Friday–Sunday)
• Venue: Circuit of the Americas, 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX 78617
• Spectator Gate Fee: $25 (one-time fee per person, covers all days)
• Competitor Pre-Entry: Open now at cmraracing.com — deadline June 30, 2026

For more information, visit cmraracing.com

After weeks of back-and-forth court rulings over the future of the Texas hemp market, state regulators may again be able to enforce new rules targeting smokable hemp products and charging sharply higher fees on retailers and manufacturers.

The Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals on Friday denied the hemp industry’s emergency request to keep a temporary injunction in place.

That temporary injunction, issued May 1, had blocked the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) from enforcing major portions of new consumable hemp regulations while the lawsuit against them plays out.

The appeals court’s order puts the case in a temporary holding pattern. The two sentence decision doesn’t decide whether the rules are legal. But for now, it pauses the lower court order that had allowed hemp businesses to keep selling hemp flower and concentrate.

Hemp is a legal category of cannabis that contains no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, the plant’s main psychoactive ingredient. Marijuana is cannabis with more than 0.3% Delta-9.

But cannabis can contain other mind-altering compounds including THCA, which converts to Delta-9 when heated or smoked. Hemp stores have been selling smokable cannabis with high levels of THCA, similar to the cannabis sold in states where marijuana is legal.

The state’s new “Total THC Rule,” which had been put on hold by the lower court, counts THCA as 88% Delta-9 when it comes to selling and manufacturing hemp products. The appeals court’s decision now means that rule is back in effect.

“I know it’s been a lot of crazy back and forth and the lawyers are doing their best to push this forward and keep this going,” said Lukas Gilkey, CEO of Hometown Hero, an Austin-based retailer and manufacturer of consumable hemp products. Gilkey helped set up the Texas Hemp Business Council, which is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to block some of the state’s new hemp rules.

“This is really going to impact the small stores,” he said. “If they have flower that qualifies under the rules, then they’re allowed to sell it. If they don’t, then theoretically, yes, they would have to stop.”

Smokable hemp products account for well over half the market in Texas, according to estimates by Portland-based Whitney Economics and Robin Goldstein, director of the Cannabis Economics Group at UC Davis.

The temporary injunction had also frozen the state’s new fee schedule for hemp businesses. Retailers’ annual registration fee had increased from $150 to $5,000 per location. Manufacturing fees increased from $250 a year to $10,000 annually.

KUT News has reached out to DSHS to ask whether the agency plans to enforce the Total THC Rule or the new fee schedule,

Possession of THCA products is still not explicitly prohibited under state law, which uses the Delta-9 metric to differentiate between hemp and marijuana. Austin police have advised people carrying smokable hemp products to keep the packaging with them to avoid having the flower or concentrate confiscated by an officer.

The case continues before the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. A final trial in Travis County had been set for July 27, but the date was seen as more of a placeholder, and this appeal could affect that timeline.