Cardi B Slams 'Disgusting' Karmelo Anthony Conviction—How A Teenage Stabbing Case Became A Racial Flashpoint In Texas

BreakingBusinessCardi B Slams 'Disgusting' Karmelo Anthony Conviction—How A Teenage Stabbing Case Became A Racial Flashpoint In TexasByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorJun 10, 2026, 10:53am EDTToplineA 35-year sentence was handed down in Texas this week to a Black teenager who was convicted of fatally stabbing of a white 17-year-old in a case that has sparked a racial reckoning in the Dallas suburb of Frisco and captured the attention of well-known figures, including rapper Cardi B who said the sentence was "disgusting" and accused prosecutors of “trying to make an example” of the young defendant. Karmelo AnthonySupporters of Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony clash outside of the Collin County Courthouse on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.The Dallas Morning News via Getty ImagesKey FactsKarmelo Anthony, who is now 19, was found guilty of murder Tuesday by an all-white jury and sentenced to decades in prison after he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf at a track meet when both boys were 17 years old. Anthony’s legal team argued that he’d acted in self-defense after he was physically confronted by a larger member of the opposing track team during the meet, but prosecutors argued Anthony intentionally escalated an otherwise mild situation by stabbing Metcalf in the chest with a folding knife (he died shortly after). Despite the prosecution claiming in opening statements that the case “has nothing to do with race”—and Metcalf’s father disavowing those who focused on race as a contributing factor—it quickly became a flashpoint in online political and racial discussions. Supporters of Metcalf and Anthony, respectively, clashed outside the Collin County Courthouse Tuesday with at least one woman holding a sign that said "Austin: Say His Name," repurposing a prominent Black Lives Matter movement slogan. Commenters debated if Anthony’s actions could reasonably be considere...