A devastated father is urging school officials to reconsider their decision to let the teenager accused of fatally stabbing his 17-year-old son receive a high school diploma.
The tragedy unfolded on April 2 at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas, during what should have been a regular school track meet. Austin Metcalf was attending the event with his younger brother, Hunter, when a fight reportedly broke out in the stands. According to authorities, 18-year-old Karmelo Anthony pulled a knife and stabbed Austin in the chest, fatally wounding him. Austin collapsed in his brother’s arms and later died, despite emergency efforts to save him.
Anthony was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He has since been released and placed under house arrest while awaiting trial.
Now, Austin’s father, Jeffrey Metcalf, is speaking out after learning that Centennial High School—the same school both teens attended—has allowed Anthony to graduate, despite the ongoing murder charge.
“To let someone accused of killing my son walk away with a diploma feels like a slap in the face,” Jeffrey said after filing a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency. “My son never got the chance to graduate—how is this justice?”
Anthony’s family insists he acted in self-defense. His mother, Kala Hayes, said during a press conference that the family has faced threats and public backlash based on what she called “false claims and misinformation.”
Emotions flared at that same press conference when Jeffrey Metcalf showed up, hoping for some acknowledgment of his family’s loss. Instead, he said he was asked to leave by police.
“All I wanted was for them to say, ‘We’re sorry for your loss,’” Metcalf told the New York Post, his voice breaking. “I would’ve said, ‘Can we pray together and show people we’re trying to heal?’ That’s all I was asking for.”
Because of his house arrest, Anthony won’t be attending the school’s official graduation ceremony. According to his representative, Dominique Alexander, the school initially considered expelling him but ultimately allowed him to graduate early in a private setting.
