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“My son was murdered. He didn’t just die.”
Then, turning her attention to Anthony, she delivered one of the most powerful remarks of the hearing.
“You should feel lucky you got 35 because I’ve been given a life sentence.”
Austin’s father confronted Anthony
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, also addressed Anthony directly. According to reports, Anthony kept his head lowered as family members spoke.
“You’re going to prison. You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my son in the heart,” Jeff said.
The grieving father described how losing Austin had fundamentally changed his life.
“If you ask me what my son’s death did to me, I would tell you it destroyed the person I used to be. Not changed me,” destroyed me.
Jeff revealed that he forgave Anthony shortly after the killing, but said he could never forgive the act itself.
“The day it happened, I forgave you. But I’ll never forgive what you did.”
At one point, Jeff also addressed discussion surrounding race that had followed the case.
“We’re all humans. We all bleed the same color.”
He then returned his focus to Anthony and the consequences of his actions.
“You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.”
The emotional statements came after Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the killing of Metcalf, whose family said they now face a lifetime without the son and brother they loved.