A man from North Carolina has sparked widespread outrage after posting images appearing to show him urinating on the grave of murdered Texas teenager Austin Metcalf, just days after the conviction of his killer Karmelo Anthony.
The photographs were first brought to wider attention after being shared by Britannia Daily, before spreading rapidly across X and other platforms, prompting widespread condemnation, calls for Johnson’s arrest and disbelief at the act. The marker reads “Austin Matthew Metcalf, July 31, 2007 – April 2, 2025, Beloved Son, Brother and Warrior.” The caption accompanying the post expressed support for Anthony, reading: “I woke up and chose violence!! FREE #KarmeloAnthony.”
The photographs spread rapidly across X and other platforms, prompting widespread condemnation, calls for Johnson’s arrest and disbelief at the act. Public records link a man of the same name to a 2017 arrest in Buncombe County, North Carolina, on charges including misdemeanour child abuse, probation violation and drug possession, with a mugshot from that period matching the man pictured at the grave.
Grave desecration is a Class A misdemeanour in Texas, carrying a potential penalty of up to one year in jail and fines, and law enforcement can pursue charges based on evidence shared publicly online. No confirmed arrest had been reported in mainstream outlets at the time of publication.
The incident comes in the immediate aftermath of Anthony’s conviction. A Collin County jury found the 19-year-old guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet at Kuykendall Stadium on 2 April 2025, and he was sentenced to 35 years in prison, with parole eligibility after at least half that term. According to CBS News Texas, the case stemmed from an altercation after Anthony entered a team tent belonging to Metcalf’s school to escape rain and refused multiple requests to leave. Anthony was recorded on police bodycam footage stating: “I’m not alleged, I did it. He put his hands on me.” A blood-stained 3.5-inch folding knife was recovered from the stadium bleachers along with his backpack.
Anthony, who is Black, has filed an appeal less than 24 hours after the verdict. Metcalf was white, and none of the jurors in the case were Black — Houston Public Media reported that prosecutors struck three potential Black jurors during selection because they were educators. The case has drawn sustained national attention over its racial dimensions, with protesters gathering outside the Collin County Courthouse throughout the trial.
Speaking after sentencing, Metcalf’s mother Meghan told Anthony directly: “You should feel lucky, because I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.” Metcalf’s father Jeff described watching his son grow up, saying: “From the first day he grabbed my finger, he had my heart with it.” Metcalf’s twin brother Hunter was reportedly with him when he died at the scene.
The grave desecration follows earlier reports of Anthony supporters confronting Metcalf’s friends and family outside the courthouse during the trial, adding to what has already been a deeply painful ordeal for the family in the public eye.
