Texas Rep. Crockett Says Race ‘Absolutely’ Played A Role In Karmelo Anthony’s Stabbing Conviction
Key takeaways
- Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who claimed race "absolutely" played a role in the verdict.
- Supporters of Metcalf and Anthony clashed outside the Collin County Courthouse Tuesday with at least one woman holding a sign that said "Austin: Say His Name," repurposing a prominent Black Lives Matter movement slogan.
- Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes, was filmed shouting “Racist!
Topline A 35-year sentence was handed down this week to a Black teenager who was convicted of fatally stabbing a white 17-year-old in a case that has sparked a racial reckoning in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, and criticism from well-known figures like rapper Cardi B and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who claimed race "absolutely" played a role in the verdict.
Supporters of Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony clash outside of the Collin County Courthouse on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.The Dallas Morning News via Getty ImagesKey FactsKarmelo Anthony, now 19, was found guilty of murder Tuesday by a jury and sentenced to decades in prison after he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf at a track meet when both were 17 years old.
Anthony’s legal team argued he’d acted in self-defense after he was physically confronted by a larger member of the opposing track team during the meet, but prosecutors argued Anthony intentionally escalated an otherwise mild situation by stabbing Metcalf in the chest with a folding knife (Metcalf died shortly after).