Congresswoman Downplays Murder Weapon — Fury Erupts

Silhouette of a person holding a knife with two figures in the background

A sitting U.S. congresswoman said the knife used to kill a teenager “you wouldn’t even think is a deadly weapon” — one day after the killer was found guilty of murder.

Story Snapshot

Rep. Jasmine Crockett claimed on her podcast that the knife used to stab Austin Metcalf to death was too small to be considered a deadly weapon.
Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder in Collin County, Texas, for stabbing Metcalf in the chest at a track meet.
Crockett also suggested she would not have been “limited to fists” in a similar situation, which critics read as justifying deadly force.
Crockett then raised race as a factor in the verdict, asking whether the outcome would have been different if the races of the killer and victim were reversed.

What Crockett Actually Said

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett made the remarks on her podcast, “Clock It with Crockett,” just one day after Anthony was found guilty of murder. She said, “Well, I would have argued the size of it alone you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon.” The knife in question was used to stab 16-year-old Austin Metcalf in the chest during a high school track meet in Collin County, Texas. Metcalf died from that wound. ^[2]^[3]

Crockett also said that if a large man were attacking her, she would not be “limited to fists.” Critics read that as her saying she would have stabbed someone in the same situation Anthony was in. Multiple reports described her comments as inaccurate and out of step with the evidence and testimony presented at trial. ^[3]^[4] She later raised the issue of race, publicly asking whether the verdict would have been the same if Anthony were white and Metcalf were Black. ^[13]

The Facts Don’t Support Her Claim

The facts of the case directly contradict Crockett’s knife claim. A jury in Collin County heard the evidence and found Anthony guilty of murder. Austin Metcalf was stabbed in the chest and died from that single wound. Any knife that kills a person is, by definition, a deadly weapon — both in common sense and under Texas law. Critics, including legal observers, pointed out that Crockett’s statements conflicted with the trial record. ^[1]^[2]^[3]

Crockett is a licensed attorney and a sitting member of Congress. That makes her “not a deadly weapon” claim even harder to excuse. She knows how weapons are defined under the law. A knife used to kill someone cannot seriously be argued as non-lethal based on its size. The jury saw the evidence and reached a clear verdict. Her comments came across as an attempt to rewrite what happened. ^[1]^[11]

Playing the Race Card After a Murder Conviction

When the “not deadly” argument didn’t land, Crockett shifted to race. She suggested the verdict may have been shaped by racial bias, implying Anthony — who is Black — was treated unfairly because his victim was white. Critics fired back, accusing her of playing the race card to distract from the facts of the case. Many said she was insulting the Metcalf family by turning their son’s murder into a political talking point. ^[10]^[13]

OUTRAGEOUS: Rep Crockett Defends Convicted Murderer Karmelo Anthony…
“Broken System” – Because He ‘Only’ Stabbed Austin Metcalf ‘One Time’

Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett defended convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony in remarks to TMZ.

Thankfully, Jasmine Crockett’s career in… pic.twitter.com/HjS9PQN9WA

— Sergeant News Network (@sgtnewsnetwork) June 11, 2026

The backlash was swift and widespread. Social media users, commentators, and even some on the left pushed back on her remarks. Actor Dean Cain called her comments out publicly. The Metcalf family has faced enormous grief, and many Americans felt Crockett’s podcast comments added insult to injury. Instead of letting the justice system do its job, she chose to second-guess a jury verdict and question the fairness of the entire trial — with no factual basis to do so. ^[5]^[10]