Austin Metcalf’s grieving father admits he feels “sorry” for convict Karmelo Anthony and revealed he even forgave his son’s killer after the fatal stabbing.

“I feel sorry for him,” said Jeff Metcalf, adding that Anthony’s “life is pretty much ruined,” during an interview with ABC News broadcast Tuesday.

But he also said Anthony, 19, had “to be held accountable” for the murder of 17-year-old Metcalf at a school track meet in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025.

Jeff, 56, said he “forgave [Anthony] the first day it happened,” adding, “I had to. If I didn’t, I’d be eaten up. I’d be angry. I might go do something. I’d be looking for revenge.”

He was speaking after his son’s killer saw his request for a new trial denied by a judge on Saturday.

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison in June after a jury rejected the defense’s “sudden passion” claim.

Neither Anthony’s lead appellate attorney, Russell Wilson II, nor the lead defense attorney during his criminal trial, Mike Howard, responded immediately to requests for comment.