Karmelo Anthony filed to appeal his first-degree murder conviction one day after a Texas jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing high school athlete Austin Metcalf.
Anthony’s defense attorneys filed the notice of appeal on Wednesday, which begins the formal process of appealing the conviction and sentence to a higher court.
The filing is a procedural step that could take years to move through the courts and does not guarantee a new trial.
The development comes after Collin County, Texas, authorities released the booking photo of Anthony, who has reportedly been held in isolation.
“New mugshot of Karmelo Anthony in the Collin County Jail as he spends the first night of his 35-year sentence for murder,” CBS 11 reporter J.D. Miles posted. “He will [likely] be transported to prison in the coming days.”
New mugshot of Karmelo Anthony in the Collin County Jail as he spends the first night of his 35 year sentence for murder. He will like be transported to prison in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/yENKRyD6AP
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) June 10, 2026
Anthony is expected to be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for intake and classification before being assigned to a prison unit, according to FOX4.
On Tuesday, a Texas court convicted the 19-year-old of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 35 years behind bars. He was facing a sentence of anywhere between 5 and 99 years.
Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalf at a track event in April 2025 in Frisco, Texas. The case quickly generated national attention, both due to a narrative peddled by the Anthony family and the glaring lack of coverage from the legacy media, which routinely highlights and escalates white-on-black incidents.
The high-profile trial started on June 1 with jury selection and wrapped up in a matter of nine days. Video footage and witness testimony — even from defense witnesses — generally indicated that Anthony provoked the situation with Metcalf, and deadly force was not needed, contradicting the self-defense argument from Anthony’s team.
Anthony broke down in tears when the verdict was read and was visibly shaking; he also broke down when his 35-year sentence was announced. It’s unclear if Anthony cried during any other part of the trial.
Notably, when Metcalf’s family read victim impact statements before the court, Anthony reportedly kept his head down and refused to look them in the eyes, even when asked to do so.
“You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f*cking son,” the victim’s father, Jeff Metcalf, said.
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