Karmelo Anthony’s sobbing mother, Kala Hayes, begged a Texas jury for mercy Tuesday just moments after her 19-year-old son was convicted of murdering fellow teen Austin Metcalf.

“Please have mercy on my son,” Hayes said during the highly emotional sentencing phase.

“He’s my oldest,” Hayes testified, according to NBC DFW. “He’ll always be my baby. I love him very much.”

Karmelo Anthony and his mother Kayla Hayes pose for a photo.

Karmelo Anthony’s sobbing mother, Kala Hayes, begged a Texas jury for mercy Tuesday just moments after her 19-year-old son was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
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“I know my son, and he’s very sorry for what he did,” she continued.

Anthony now faces up to 99 years in prison for the fatal April 2, 2025 track meet stabbing in Frisco.

Karmelo Anthony supporters gathered in front of the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, Texas.

Karmelo Anthony supporters voice their opinions in front of the Collin County courthouse after a verdict was reached Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas.

Law enforcement officials stand outside the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, Texas.

Law enforcement officials stand in front of the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was reached in the Karmelo Anthony trial Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
The jury, which deliberated for less than three hours after the defense and prosecutors delivered closing arguments, will decide Anthony’s sentence.

The swift guilty verdict followed a racially fraught trial where prosecutors eviscerated Anthony’s self-defense claims, emphasizing that he brought a deadly weapon to a high school sporting event and refused to walk away.

Donations for Anthony’s legal defense on GiveSendGo surpassed $625,000 just as a Texas jury convicted the teenager of first-degree murder.

The violent confrontation erupted in the bleachers of Kuykendall Stadium when Anthony refused to leave the tent reserved for the Memorial High School track team during a rain delay.

Anthony was repeatedly asked to leave the tent multiple times, and Metcalf began to argue with him.

The argument escalated further when Anthony said to Metcalf “touch me and see what happens,” while keeping his hand hidden in his backpack, implying that he had a weapon, according to FOX4.

Metcalf pushed him and Anthony fatally stabbed him in the chest with a knife.

An emotional supporter of Karmelo Anthony is consoled by another outside the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, Texas.

An emotional Karmelo Anthony supporter is consoled by another outside the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was reached in the trial Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas.

A person in a pink shirt and cap announces a guilty verdict outside the Collin County courthouse, with others carrying a "Karmelo Anthony" sign.

A person walks around announcing the guilty verdict in the Karmelo Anthony trial in front of the Collin County courthouse, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in McKinney, Texas.

Witnesses for the state testified that Anthony acted as the aggressor.

Anthony was caught on video stating, “I’m not alleged, I did it.”

“He put his hands on me.”