Was Karmelo Anthony Offered a Plea Deal Before He Was Found Guilty?
The teenager has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Published June 10 2026, 9:33 a.m. ET
Content warning: This article mentions allegations of murder.
After being the center of discourse for over a year, Karmelo Anthony's trial has finally come to a close. The teenager was accused of murdering Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Texas. The two boys had an argument in a team tent, which escalated into a physical altercation. In the end, Karmelo allegedly stabbed Austin to death.
As of June 9, 2026, the verdict of this high-profile case is officially in, and Karmelo's fate has been sealed. However, the public wants to know whether or not the now-19-year-old (he was 17 at the time of the alleged crime) was ever offered a plea deal in the process.
Was Karmelo Anthony offered a plea deal?
Speculations about a possible plea deal arose mainly from social media personalities who suggested that Karmelo would have been better off taking such an offer. Referencing the GiveSendGo campaign that was made for Karmelo and his family, podcaster Matt Walsh serves as one such example of a political commentator who holds this opinion.
Matt took to X to write, "Keep in mind, if Karmelo had pleaded guilty early on, it would have cut the fundraiser short. His parents chose to send him to trial so they could keep raking in the cash. They don’t love or care about him. Awful people who inevitably raised an awful son. My only regret is that they can’t be thrown in a prison cell along with him."
That said, per the Hindustan Times, Karmelo was never offered a plea deal.
The public confusion stems from suggestions like Matt's that he should have taken one. However, there is no official reporting stating that there was ever a plea deal on the table. That said, Judge John Roach has put a gag order on the case, according to ABC News, presumably due to many of the witnesses being under the age of 18.
Therefore, it is impossible to be certain whether or not a plea deal was ever offered.
What was the trial's verdict?
Instead of a plea deal, Karmelo's defense took the strategy of a "sudden passion" claim, according to CBS News. If the jury accepted that argument, the charges would be lowered to a second-degree felony as opposed to first-degree murder.
The jury rejected that defense, meaning Karmelo's potential sentence would not be reduced. Rather, the teenager was allowed to be charged as an adult under Texas state law. As a result, Karmelo was facing anywhere between five and 99 years in prison.
After just two-and-a-half hours of deliberation (per CBS News), the jury found Karmelo guilty of murder. According to NBC News, the teenager has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. Karmelo's family and defense team maintain that he regrets his actions, which were made in "self-defense" due to "physical intimidation."
After the verdict was announced, Austin's mother, Meghan Metcalf, addressed Karmelo. NBC News reports that Meghan said, "You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years. You should feel lucky, because I’ve been sentenced to a life without my son."