Karmelo Anthony trial: Batson challenge denied, 35‑year sentence upheld

A Collin County, Texas jury found 19‑year‑old Karmelo Anthony guilty of fatally stabbing 17‑year‑old Austin Metcalf in 2025 and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Anthony's defense raised a Batson challenge, arguing that prosecutors used peremptory strikes to exclude three Black women jurors, resulting in a jury with no Black members. The judge accepted prosecutors’ race‑neutral explanation that the jurors were removed because they were educators of school‑aged children and denied the challenge. The defense also claimed Anthony acted in “sudden passion,” a potential mitigating factor, but the jury rejected that argument. Anthony’s attorneys plan to appeal the conviction and sentence.

The case highlights concerns about jury diversity and the application of Batson challenges in the Texas criminal justice system.