Jeff Metcalfe, the heartbroken father of Austin Metcalfe, shared that watching the disturbing body camera footage of his son’s stabbing during Carmelo Anthony’s murder trial devastated him. He also expressed his sorrow for the young man who took his son’s life.
Inside the courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Jeff saw the harrowing recording that displayed first responders attempting to save Austin, a 17-year-old high school football player who tragically died in his brother’s arms after the stabbing at a track meet on April 2, 2025.
“What really broke me was hearing the footage,” he recalled, emphasizing the anguish in his son’s twin brother’s voice as he cried out. “Oh, God, God! My brother, my twin.” This was shared with CBS News after a court-imposed gag order was lifted.
As a parent, Jeff expressed a deep instinct to protect his children. He added, “You want to hear your son’s voice filled with fear, but I wasn’t there to help.”
The footage was so graphic that Anthony, now 19, turned his head away at the most disturbing moments and visibly flinched as he watched.
At one point, he was seen rubbing his eyes, and his lawyer offered support by patting his shoulder, which seemed to amplify his distress.
Anthony received a 35-year prison sentence, eligible for parole after 17 years, but Jeff wished he had faced life imprisonment instead. He committed to attending future parole hearings, saying, “If I were alive, I would go there directly. If not, we’ll make a video to be played.”
Despite his loss, Jeff expressed some empathy for his son’s killer, stating he wanted to understand the young man’s mental struggles. “I felt some sadness. This boy is heading for a tough life, which I wouldn’t wish on anyone.” He clarified that forgiveness was for his own peace of mind, not for Anthony. “I didn’t want anger to consume me.”
On Wednesday morning, Anthony was moved to the Wallace Pack unit near Houston, Texas.
In an emotional statement, Jeff condemned Anthony, asserting, “People think grief is just sadness; it’s also pure anger.” He called out the young man directly, saying, “You failed your parents, yourself, and society… A part of me died with Austin, but I need to keep living.”
He added, “You may be going to prison, but I forgave you the day of the incident. I won’t forgive you for what you did.” His words were fueled by the reality that Anthony had fatally stabbed his son with a knife, creating a grave wound to Austin’s heart.
Anthony, then a student at Centennial High School, had attacked a rival student from Memorial High School after refusing to leave their area at a tournament, despite numerous requests to do so.
During the trial, protests erupted outside the courthouse, with some supporters of Anthony arguing the case was racially biased against him, suggesting he acted in self-defense. “This isn’t about race,” Metcalfe insisted. “It’s about right and wrong. The public reaction has been disheartening.”
In the sentencing phase, the jury took into account the “sudden passion” defense, which can lead to lighter sentences in Texas. After about three hours of deliberation, they found Anthony guilty and spent another three hours determining a sentence of three and a half years.
Anthony’s mother, Kara, criticized the verdict, labeling it as “racist and bigoted,” and indicated they plan to appeal the murder conviction.
