Nationwide — Sharifa Nicole Henderson, a 34-year-old woman from Kansas City, is facing federal charges after reportedly sending repeated online death threats to the family of Austin Metcalf during the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony. Henderson was arrested in Kansas City on September 11 and later appeared in federal court in the Western District of Texas.
Prosecutors allege Henderson sent at least three threatening messages to Metcalf’s family through Facebook in June 2026, while Anthony’s trial was underway. Court documents say she threatened to “demolish” the family and said she wanted to “strangle” one of its members. In another message, she allegedly wrote, “I will hunt you forever until I kill you… I will be there. You will always have to look over your [expletive] shoulder.” She has been charged with interstate threatening communications. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison if she is convicted.
The federal case comes as Metcalf’s family says it has faced numerous threats since the trial ended. Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father, told FOX 4 that the family has received more than 100 threats. He said the ongoing harassment has affected the family on several levels. “People don’t understand what my family goes through every single day,” he said. “It does wear on you mentally, physically, and spiritually, but I know that God’s got me — so, they don’t really carry a lot of weight.”
Austin Metcalf was 17 when he was fatally stabbed on April 2, 2025, during a regional high school track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Authorities said Anthony, then a student at Centennial High School, was sitting under the Memorial High School team tent when Metcalf, who attended Memorial, told him to leave. Investigators said they found no evidence that the two teenagers knew each other before the confrontation. Surveillance footage released after the trial showed Metcalf and other students approaching the tent before Anthony later ran from the area and left the stadium.
Anthony told police that Metcalf had “put his hands on me” and maintained that he acted in self-defense. In another recording, he told an officer, “I did it,” after police referred to him as the alleged suspect. A 911 caller also reported that a teenager had been stabbed under the team tent. Anthony was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
A Collin County judge rejected Anthony’s request for a new trial last month. His defense attorneys argued that an agreement between his original defense team and prosecutors affected his ability to testify. They also argued that limited public access to the proceedings denied him a fair trial. The judge considered new evidence about threats surrounding the case and the circumstances involving the agreement before denying the request. Meanwhile, Henderson’s federal case remains pending, adding another legal matter stemming from the events surrounding Anthony’s trial. Jeff Metcalf has also established the Austin Metcalf Foundation, which focuses on helping teenagers manage their emotions and resolve conflicts peacefully.