Outgoing /Democrat Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett grossly minimized the brutal murder of Austin Metcalf, painting the convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony as a victim of racism.
The jury deliberated for less than four hours before Anthony was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Metcalf on Tuesday, promptly being sentenced to 35 years in prison. Anthony plunged a knife into Metcalf’s heart after the two had a dispute during a track meet, leaving him to die in his twin brother’s arms.
Crockett avoided addressing the brutality of the attack, saying Karmelo only ended up “puncturing” Metcalf once with a “tool.” Rather than condemning Anthony, Crockett repeatedly downplayed the horrific incident, saying the system was stacked against the black attacker. (RELATED: Here Are The Most Heinous And Absurd Remarks Made After Black Teen Convicted Of Murdering White High Schooler)
“I know that our systems are broken,” Crockett told TMZ Wednesday. “And what we saw with that verdict is the evidence of a broken system.”
“It’s my understanding that Karmelo ended up stabbing, puncturing, I don’t know what this tool was they talk about, knife or some refer to it as a tool. Um, he ended up hitting Austin one time, and it was about where he hit him. One time. Two inches. This wasn’t someone who said, ‘Hey, let me stab you five, six, seven times.’”
Crockett also claimed that Karmelo was sentenced simply because he “decided to go under a tent that was not his team’s tent as it was raining.”
“Listen, a lot of people don’t know what it is to live as a black person in this country,” Crockett said.
🚨 Rep. Jasmine Crockett says her “heart breaks” over Karmelo Anthony’s 35-year sentence.
“35 years for a kid who had decided to go under a tent that was not his team’s tent as it was raining and simply didn’t want to be put out in the rain by some random kid that he didn’t… pic.twitter.com/zA9xH2eST8
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 10, 2026
“The fact that there was little to no mercy seen, or humanity seen, when this black boy said that, ‘I was scared.’ Or the fact that honestly anybody else who did something with such a small object… that they wouldn’t even say, ‘Well, maybe this was more so something that looked like manslaughter.” (RELATED: Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty Of Murder, Sentenced to 35 Years)
When asked if she thought Anthony’s race played a role in the verdict, she said, “Oh my God. I know Collin County, so absolutely.”
“I can tell you that I’ve had cases that have played out differently because of the counties that they were in. And unfortunately that was not a county for a black boy.”
“I would guarantee you it wouldn’t have happened,” Crockett said when asked if Anthony would have faced the same sentence if he was white. “I don’t even know if he would have been convicted.”
“Again, racism.”