Hunter Metcalf accepted austin metcalf’s posthumous diploma on Thursday night at Memorial High School’s graduation inside the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. He also received his own diploma after crossing the stage twice, capping a ceremony that publicly marked the family’s loss more than 13 months after Austin’s death.
Comerica Center ceremony
Hunter was born two minutes after Austin and graduated Cum Laude with a weighted GPA of 4.0 or above. A speaker told the crowd, "Hunter Metcalf will accept the posthumous diploma on behalf of his brother, Austin Metcalf," and the arena responded with applause and a 30-second standing ovation.
The graduation placed the brothers’ names together on a stage that normally belongs to one student at a time. For Hunter, the moment brought his own diploma and the school’s recognition of Austin into the same ceremony, in front of classmates, families, and staff at Memorial High School.
April 2, 2025 in Frisco
Austin Metcalf died on April 2, 2025, during a violent altercation at a high school track and field championship at Frisco’s Kuykendall Stadium. He was a junior sitting in the stands when the confrontation began after he told Centennial High School senior Karmelo Anthony to leave Memorial High’s seating section.
According to the facts in the case, Anthony allegedly pulled a knife from his bag and stabbed Austin in the chest. Austin died while Hunter held him in his arms. Anthony was arrested shortly after the stabbing and charged with first-degree murder.
Karmelo Anthony trial
The criminal case remains pending. A jury trial for Anthony is scheduled to begin on June 1, and if he is found guilty, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 5 to 99 years. Because of the US Supreme Court’s ruling against convicted criminals who were 17 and under at the time of the crime, he is not eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Jeff Metcalf had been vocal against Anthony after his son’s alleged killer was released from prison and placed on house arrest. In April, he was tossed from a news conference held by Anthony’s lawyers and later handed a gag order not to speak to reporters about his son’s death.
Thursday’s diploma ceremony did not alter the criminal case, but it fixed Austin’s name inside a public school milestone at the same time his family is still awaiting the June 1 trial. For the Metcalf family, the night ended with two diplomas, one walk across the stage, and a loss that remained in the room.
