Stunned Court TV panelist looks shellshocked by Karmelo Anthony murder conviction and says 'Looks like we're going to have a problem there'

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:52, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 13:57, 10 June 2026 A stunned Court TV panelist was left shellshocked after hearing Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony had been found guilty of murder.  The panelist appeared slack jawed as she gave her reaction to the verdict, saying she was 'not expecting' that Anthony would face a murder conviction over the death of Austin Metcalf in April 2025.  The case sharply divided the nation as Anthony claimed he stabbed Metcalf in the heart in self-defense, with the race of the two boys and Texas's Stand Your Ground laws growing controversial ahead of the trial.  After a jury found Anthony guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday, the Court TV panelist said she was shocked that the 19-year-old did not face reduced charges of manslaughter instead.  'I did not expect the top charge,' she said. 'I really was thinking they'd see manslaughter, still guilty, but manslaughter.' 'But, wow, guilty of murder... that's heavy,' she continued.  'It seems like we're going to have a problem there.'  As the camera cut away to footage of supporters of Anthony and the Metcalf family clashing outside the courthouse, another person chimed in on the Court TV broadcast: 'This is dumb. This is dumb.'  A stunned Court TV panelist was left shellshocked after hearing Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony had been found guilty of murder Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed by Karmelo Anthony with a four-inch knife at a track meet in Frisco, Texas in April 2025 Karmelo Anthony appeared stone-faced in a newly released jail mugshot after beginning a 35-year prison sentence for murdering Austin Metcalf Court TV Panelist devastated, near tears by Karmelo Anthony guilty verdict.“Wow…Guilty of murder. That’s heavy."Just absolutely shocked here that justice was done. pic.twitter.com/xEqPai7jtf It comes as Anthony's case drew controversy across the nation throughout his week-long trial, with supporters of the teenager accusing prosecutors of racism in their decision to charge him with murder.  But prosecutors and Metcalf's family insisted the case was not about race, and argued that Anthony needlessly stabbed Metcalf in the heart at a Texas track meet after being pushed by the victim when they had a brief argument.  After finding Anthony guilty on Tuesday, a jury sentenced him to 35 years behind bars.  At his sentencing, Anthony broke down in tears and wept in front of the courtroom as he learned his fate, before Metcalf's father Jeff tore into the teen killer in his victim impact statement. The father demanded the convicted killer look him in the eyes as he described his son's untimely death in heart-wrenching detail, saying the tragedy 'destroyed' his family's lives. 'You're going to prison,' Jeff Metcalf told Anthony. 'You can't even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f***ing son in the heart.' The dad described the 'unfiltered rage' he feels over his son's untimely death. 'If you ask me what my son's death did to me, I would tell you it destroyed the person I used to be. Not changed me, destroyed me,' Jeff told the court. The grieving father said he forgave Anthony 'the day it happened' but did not forgive 'what you did.' Austin Metcalf's father, Jeff Metcalf, hit out at his son's killer in court on Tuesday for not being able to look him in the eye The case shocked America, and the discussion surrounding it quickly became racially fraught. Anthony's supporters claim he was treated unfairly because he is black An emotional Karmelo Anthony supporter is consoled by another outside the courthouse after the teenager is found guilty of murder  A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old track athlete, Austin Metcalf, above He said the Metcalf family was 'robbed' of seeing Austin grow up and regretted he wasn't there to defend his son at the sporting event in April 2025. 'People think that grief is sadness but it's not. It's rage. Pure unfiltered rage,' Jeff shouted as he slammed his fist down. 'My son's death didn't just break my heart,' he continued, adding that it also destroyed 'my sense of safety, my faith in people.' Jeff Metcalf also addressed some attempting to make the trial about race, saying it had nothing to do with his son's death and the trial was only about 'right and wrong.' 'We're all humans. We all bleed the same color,' Jeff noted, before addressing Anthony himself. 'You're free to make choices all you want, but you're not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today,' he said. 'You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don't belong in this community,' the heartbroken father concluded. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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