‘You’re a Coward!’: Austin Metcalf’s Dad Exposed for Threatening Message to Civil Rights Activist During Karmelo Anthony Hearing
The father of slain Texas teenager Austin Metcalf sent a confrontational Facebook message to a spokesperson for Karmelo Anthony’s family before a judge’s decision to deny Anthony’s request for a new trial.
Dominique Alexander, founder of the Dallas-based Next Generation Action Network, shared a screenshot of the message on Facebook after receiving it from an account belonging to Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father.
The message was sent Aug. 21, according to Alexander.
‘Say It to My Face’
It is unclear whether the Facebook account is Jeff Metcalf’s personal account. The profile picture is the logo of the Austin Metcalf Foundation, an organization founded by Metcalf following his son’s death. The foundation promotes youth conflict resolution, de-escalation and violence prevention.
“Say it to my face! You’re a coward. Called you out and you slither away. When the denied ruling is issued, you going to have another press conference? I promise to attend. See you around,” the message said.
Alexander says the message came after he witnessed what he described as “troubling” behavior from Jeff Metcalf during the hearing.
“Throughout these proceedings, I personally witnessed behavior from Mr. Metcalf that I found troubling, including confrontational interactions in the courthouse hallways and moments when security personnel appeared to intervene or contain the situation,” Alexander said.
Alexander said he decided to share the message publicly so people could judge the exchange for themselves.
“I will not give anyone the reaction they are looking for. I will not respond to intimidation with intimidation. Instead, I am going to let the message speak for itself,” Alexander said.
Social Media Weighs In
The message came shortly before a Texas judge denied Anthony’s request for a new trial with a ruling issued on Aug 22. Anthony was convicted in June of murder in the 2025 stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
During the two-day hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys discussed character evidence involving both Anthony and Austin Metcalf that jurors did not hear during the original trial.
Some social media users drew comparisons between the language used in Metcalf’s message and testimony from Anthony’s murder trial.
“The ‘say it to my face’ is the same thing as ‘touch me and see what happens,’” one wrote.
During the trial, prosecutors said Anthony told Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens,” during the confrontation that preceded the stabbing. Anthony maintained that he acted in self-defense.
“Bullying is a learned behavior,” another said.
Others pointed to the fact that the message could be used as evidence. “I’d turn that into the courts. He’s not supposed to communicate with the other parties or side. Period. It’s harassment.”
Jeff Metcalf did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the message.