Karmelo Anthony Placed in Isolation After Murder Conviction

Karmelo Anthony's staring down more than three decades behind bars after being convicted of murder ... but he's not doing time with the general inmate population ... at least not yet.

A rep for Collin County Jail -- where Anthony was sent after a jury found him guilty of murder -- tells TMZ ... the 19-year-old's being housed in a more secure area of the jail, separated from other inmates.

We're told the jail is taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of all inmates in the facility ... but the rep declined to comment on why Anthony specifically is being kept in isolation.

As you know ... Anthony was found guilty of fatally stabbing fellow teenager Austin Metcalf at a 2025 high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony walked into the tent of a rival high school at the meet and got into an altercation with Metcalf -- which ended with Anthony pulling a knife from his bag and fatally stabbing Metcalf.

Anthony's lawyers argued he killed Metcalf in self-defense, but the jury didn't agree. Shortly after the conviction, Anthony was sentenced to 35 years ... and he took a new mug shot at the jail.