'Don't look down': Austin Metcalf's dad demands son's convicted killer Karmelo Anthony look him in the eye

While reading his victim impact statement in court on Tuesday, Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, demanded his son's convicted killer look him in the eyes. Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison following a trial that took just over a week.

“Don't look down,” Jeff Metcalf said to Karmelo Anthony, according to WFAA. Anthony hung his head and refused to look at any of the Metcalfs, including Austin’s father, mother, and twin brother, Hunter.

Metcalf also spoke to allegations that his sons had targeted Anthony for sitting under their school tent. “My boys weren’t bullies,” he said.

“My son's death destroyed the person I used to be,” said Metcalf. “He does not exist anymore.” Metcalf reportedly slammed his fists into the table and shouted as he talked about the anger he felt. “People think grief is sadness. It is not. It is rage. Pure, unfiltered rage,” Metcalf said as he slammed his fist against the table and shouted angrily.

“You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society … You don’t belong in this community,” he told Anthony. “A piece of me died with my son, and I’m expected to keep living.

“You’re going to prison. I forgave you the day it happened. I don’t forgive what you did,” he added. “You can’t look me in the eyes, but you can stab my f*cking son!” Metcalf kept his glare trained on Anthony as he walked away from the stand.

Austin Metcalf's mother, Meghan Metcalf, spoke about the heartbreak of having her son murdered. “There was a part of him you can never take from me, the strength I still get from him every day, because I know what it was like to be loved by him. My son was murdered. He didn’t just die. He was taken from us, just as he was starting to live,” Meghan said.

“You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years. You should feel lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a life without my son.”

For his part, Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, talked about the feeling of loss he was dealing with. “You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend from this world. You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, a godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you,” he said, per the New York Post.