Metcalf family delivers victim impact statements following sentencing of Karmelo Anthony
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:10 PM – Wednesday, June 10, 2026
In a courtroom gripped by grief, rage and raw emotion, the family of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf delivered powerful victim impact statements on Tuesday following the sentencing of 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony.
Hours after a Collin County jury found Anthony guilty of murder for the fatal April 2025 stabbing at a Frisco track meet, he was sentenced to 35 years in state prison. The conclusion of the trial paved the way for the Metcalf family to address Anthony directly, offering a devastating window into the permanent devastation left in the wake of the senseless tragedy.
Meghan Metcalf, Austin’s mother, wept openly as she took the stand to articulate the agony of losing her son, whom she described as a natural peacemaker and “hugger.”
She recounted the grueling reality of walking past an empty bedroom every day, explaining that her once-vibrant house is now completely quiet. Turning her eyes to Anthony, she emphasized that her son didn’t simply pass away, but was actively stolen from her.
In a sharp rebuke, she also noted that while Anthony faced more than three decades behind bars, she and her family had been handed a lifetime sentence without Austin, leaving her only to have one-sided conversations with her son while sitting at his grave.
“We will never know what our future could have been,” the heartbroken mother, Meghan, said. “For journalists, activists, this is a story. For our family, this is our reality.”
The slain 17-year-old’s father, Jeff Metcalf, spoke through tears while a large screen displayed photos of Austin throughout his life. He recalled fond memories of watching his son grow up, from grabbing his finger as a newborn to catching his first fish. He also praised his son’s leadership qualities and athletic talent.
Shaking with sorrow and profound anger, Jeff Metcalf then addressed the national attention and online controversy that had surrounded the trial, explicitly stating that the tragedy was never about race and condemning the public responses that sought to tear down his son’s memory. He noted that the grief had fundamentally shattered his own well-being, describing it not just as sadness, but as pure, unfiltered rage. Looking directly at Anthony, he called his actions despicable and told the defendant that he had utterly failed his parents, himself, and society as a whole.
“My son’s death destroyed the person I used to be,” he said. “He does not exist anymore … People think grief is sadness, it is not. It is rage. Pure unfiltered rage …You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society … You don’t belong in this community. A piece of me died with my son, and I’m expected to keep living.
“You’re going to prison. I forgave you the day it happened. I don’t forgive what you did,” he added. “You can’t look me in the eyes but you can stab my f–king son!”
Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, delivered an exceptionally moving statement as well, asking Anthony to look him in the eye as he spoke. Hunter described the unimaginable pain of losing his best friend and the person who was supposed to stand by him as an uncle to his future children.
He shared that he had spent the last year choosing God and trying to navigate the agonizing path toward forgiveness, even as he grappled with why his brother was taken. Hunter told Anthony that while the defendant had let the devil take over in that fatal moment and would eventually see his own name forgotten, Austin’s legacy of loyalty, respect, and kindness would endure forever.
“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world. You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you,” he said, according to CBS Texas.
Lastly, the profound sense of loss extended to Austin’s aunt, Marlee Needham, who detailed the permanent void that has been forged within their extended family. She recalled the heartbreaking moment she had to break the news of Austin’s death to his grandmother and noted how deeply she loved watching her nephew compete and excel as an athlete.
Needham expressed that while the family relies on their faith to cope, they are plagued by the unanswered question of why this happened. Closing out the emotional proceedings, she reminded the court that the high-profile case was not merely a headline or a story for journalists and activists, but a painful reality that their family will be forced to live with forever.
“This is not a story. This is our reality, and we will live with this loss forever,” she said.
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