Karmelo Anthony has been found guilty of murder in the Austin Metcalf stabbing case, but due to 'sudden passion' he might get a reduced sentence.
The incident in Frisco, Texas left people divided, with Metcalf's lawyers arguing that Anthony had carried out a 'sneak attack' on Metcalf, while Anthony's counsel maintained it was an act of self-defense.
At the time the trial moved to the punishment phase, Anthony's mother, Kayla Hayes told the jurors 'Have mercy on my son.'
The state has reportedly agreed to allow the jurors to consider 'sudden passion' during Anthony's sentencing, which would allow for a reduced jail sentence.
'Sudden passion' is defined in the Texas Penal Code Sec. 19.02 as 'passion directly caused by and arising out of provocation by the individual killed or another acting with the person killed which passion arises at the time of the offense and is not solely the result of former provocation.'
Under 'sudden passion', Anthony's sentence range is reduced, from five to 99 years behind bars to two to 20 years in jail, which is the same as the sentence length for a manslaughter conviction.
Anthony's lawyers had argued that he had been overcome by a strong emotion like fear, anger, or shock and had acted before getting the time to calm down.
Anthony had earlier been offered a plea deal, which he had rejected.
The incident occurred during a Frisco ISD track meet, where Anthony, 19, was convicted of stabbing the 17-year-old Metcalf.
Many of the witnesses, who were also students, described the two getting into a heated argument when Metcalf asked Anthony to leave their team's tent on a rainy spring day, and Anthony refused.
The two did not attend the same school, with Anthony going to Centennial High School and Metcalf attending Memorial High School.
During the trial, Anthony's lawyer argued that Metcalf had not had any right to put his hands on the accused, while prosecutors painted the picture that Anthony had provoked Metcalf.
