Karmelo Anthony stood trial over the April 2025 death of Austin Metcalf in the Dallas area, and the racially polarising case drew national attention.
Both were 17 at the time of the incident.
Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Prosecutors argued that Anthony threatened Metcalf before he intentionally killed him, while defence attorneys insisted Anthony was acting in self-defence.
Though Anthony was 17 at the time of the murder on 2 April 2025, Texas law allowed him to be charged as an adult.
Throughout the trial prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, concentrating their evidence on eye witness testimonies.
One of the most emotional moments came from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Elizabeth Ventura, who described a large gaping wound in Metcalf’s chest and said the knife had pierced his heart.
Student witnesses for the prosecution described Anthony as the aggressor.
The defence also called multiple witnesses including students and track coach Adam Linwood, who said Anthony had been nominated for the role of team captain.
Anthony did well in school with near perfect grades that gave him a 4.0 grade point average according to a Dallas area NBC News affiliate.
On Tuesday the Texas jury reached a guilty verdict in less than three hours.
The civil rights organisation Next Generation Action Network which had advocated for Anthony noted that not one juror was black.
Judge Roach had given the jury an opportunity to consider manslaughter charges which would have carried a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
They chose murder instead.
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