The murder conviction of Karmelo Anthony has sparked a new wave of controversy, with reports that members of Austin Metcalf’s family are receiving threats and harassment in the days following the verdict.
Anthony was convicted of murder on Tuesday and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.
The two were both 17 years old when the incident occurred in April 2025.
Since the conviction, disturbing messages and alleged acts of intimidation have surfaced online, per Fox News.
According to TMZ, relatives of Metcalf have received threatening text messages tied to the case. One message reportedly stated, “He [Austin] f****d around and found out,” while another read, “Should’ve stabbed hunter too.”
Hunter Metcalf is Austin’s twin brother.
TMZ also reported that individuals have allegedly threatened to show up at homes connected to the Metcalf family and made comments about Austin’s grave.
It remains unclear who sent the messages or exactly which family members received them.
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has previously spoken publicly about threats directed at the family.
Following the trial, he told CBS that threatening messages continue to arrive and noted that personal information connected to the family had been exposed online.
“I would hope they take a look in the mirror,” Metcalf said of people sending the threats. “If you have children, and it was your child who was murdered, would you like people dragging his name through the mud?”
The threats come as authorities investigate a separate incident involving a video that has circulated widely on social media.
The footage appears to show a bicyclist confronting and striking a man while questioning him about whether he served on the Anthony trial jury.
A woman can be heard in the video saying the alleged victim is a military veteran.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed it is reviewing the footage.
“We are aware of this video circulating on social media and are actively looking into the video’s origin and parties involved,” the department told Fox News Digital.
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No jurors from Anthony’s trial have publicly discussed the verdict.
Anthony has already begun challenging his conviction. Court records show he filed a notice of appeal after being sentenced.
The case drew national attention throughout the trial, with prosecutors arguing Anthony murdered Metcalf after being asked to leave a team tent at the track meet. Defense attorneys maintained that Anthony acted in self-defense.
Jurors rejected that claim and found him guilty of murder.
Now, as the legal battle shifts to the appeals process, concerns are growing over the threats and hostility reportedly directed at the family of the teenager whose death was at the center of the case.
