If you have been following the high-profile Texas murder case that gripped the nation, you are probably asking the same question everyone else is: where is Karmelo Anthony now? As of June 11, 2026, Karmelo Anthony, 19, has been convicted of murder, sentenced to 35 years in prison, and transferred to a Texas state prison facility — all within the span of just 48 hours. Here is everything you need to know about where things stand today.
The Karmelo Anthony Case: What Happened and How It Ended
The Karmelo Anthony case began on April 2, 2025, when then-17-year-old Karmelo Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school district track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The two teens did not know each other prior to that day. Witnesses testified that a dispute broke out after Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School, told Anthony — a Centennial High School athlete — to leave the shelter of Memorial’s pop-up tent during a rainstorm. The confrontation escalated quickly: Anthony warned Metcalf not to touch him, and when Metcalf pushed him, Anthony pulled a knife from his backpack and stabbed Metcalf in the chest. Metcalf died at the scene. Anthony briefly fled before surrendering to police, reportedly in tears and asking whether Metcalf would survive. He was charged with murder that same day. The case immediately drew national attention, igniting fierce debate over self-defense laws, racial tensions, and school safety. Anthony, who had a 3.7 GPA and was both a football team captain and track athlete, posted a $250,000 bond and was placed under house arrest while awaiting trial. His family raised over $500,000 through a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign for legal defense. The trial finally began on June 1, 2026, in McKinney, Texas, with nearly 600 prospective jurors summoned. After several days of testimony from dozens of witnesses — including students, medical experts, and investigators — a Collin County jury found Anthony guilty of murder on June 10, 2026, deliberating for less than three hours. Hours later, during the sentencing phase, the same jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison, rejecting the defense’s self-defense argument. The maximum possible sentence was 99 years or life.
Karmelo Anthony: Who Is He?
Karmelo Anthony is a 19-year-old from the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. At the time of the stabbing in April 2025, he was 17 years old and a student at Centennial High School in Frisco, Texas. He was described by his father, Drew Anthony, as an honor student with a 3.7 GPA, a team captain of both his school’s track and football teams. Despite his age at the time of the incident, Texas law permitted him to be charged and tried as an adult. His case became one of the most widely followed criminal trials in Texas in recent memory, with supporters and protesters gathering outside the courthouse daily throughout the proceedings. His mother, Kayla Hayes, was the sole defense witness during the sentencing phase, pleading with the jury to show mercy toward her son. Anthony himself did not testify during the trial.
Karmelo Anthony Video Footage: What the Surveillance Showed
The Karmelo Anthony video footage played a central and contentious role throughout both the investigation and the trial. Surveillance cameras at Kuykendall Stadium captured portions of the confrontation, though witnesses and advocates debated what exactly the footage showed. The video, described as grainy, appeared to show Austin Metcalf pushing Anthony moments before the stabbing occurred — a detail the defense leaned on heavily to support its self-defense claim. However, prosecutors argued the footage and eyewitness testimony together painted a clear picture of deliberate violence rather than self-defense. The video was presented to jurors as part of the prosecution’s case. Notably, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis revealed after the verdict that his office had to work to counter manipulated and fabricated versions of the footage that had been circulating on social media, calling it an attempt by online influencers to interfere with the case. Advocates for Anthony, including the Next Generation Action Network, continued after the verdict to assert that the video evidence did not match the trial testimony — a point they say will factor into the ongoing appeal.
Wallace Pack Unit: Where Karmelo Anthony Is Now
So where is Karmelo Anthony right now? Following his conviction on Tuesday, June 10, 2026, Anthony spent his first night in isolation at the infirmary of the Collin County Jail, separated from other inmates for security purposes. On Wednesday morning, June 11, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) took formal custody of Anthony and transferred him to the Wallace Pack Unit, a state prison located near Navasota in Grimes County, Texas, roughly 5 miles south of the town of Navasota and in proximity to Houston. A new prison mugshot was taken upon his intake — showing Anthony with a shaved head and wearing a sleeveless prison tunic. It remains unclear whether the Wallace Pack Unit will be his permanent placement, as inmates are often moved after an initial intake process, which can also involve a facility in Huntsville, Texas. The Wallace Pack Unit, opened in September 1983, is operated by the TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division and houses inmates classified in security levels G1 through G3. Anthony, who was free on bond and allowed to attend his own high school graduation under a special agreement before the trial, now faces decades behind bars.
Karmelo Anthony’s Lawyer and Next Steps: The Appeal
The legal fight for Karmelo Anthony is far from over. Within 24 hours of his conviction, Anthony’s trial attorney, Mike Howard, filed a formal notice of appeal. In a statement provided to media outlets, Howard said: “We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American.” In a separate court filing, Anthony himself declared indigency — describing himself as a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person” — and requested that the court appoint him an appellate attorney, raising questions about the large sums raised through his family’s crowdfunding campaigns. The appeal has been assigned to the 5th District Court of Appeals in downtown Dallas, which handles cases from Collin County and several other North Texas metropolitan counties. The next steps for Anthony’s legal team include requesting that the Collin County District Clerk send all relevant documents to the Court of Appeals, and asking the court reporter to prepare a full trial transcript. Legal experts note that potential appeal arguments could center on jury selection — particularly the prosecution’s decision to strike three Black women from the jury pool, which the Next Generation Action Network called a serious fairness concern — as well as questions about whether the case was tried in the correct venue. Appellate attorney David Coale, who was not involved in the case, noted that convincing an appeals court to overturn a jury verdict is extremely difficult, and the process could take months or even years, during which Anthony will remain in prison.
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