[REVISION HISTORY]

Karmelo Anthony: Judge denies request for new murder trial

Updated 7 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-31 19:26 UTC → 2026-09-03 08:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Nineteen-year-old Karmelo Anthony remains in protective custody at the Wallace Pack Unit following his June 2026 conviction and 35-year sentence for the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco. On 19 August 2026, visiting judge Sid Harle ordered the removal of District Judge John Roach Jr. from the murder appeal. The recusal followed defense arguments that Roach’s post-trial conduct, including an on-camera interview expressing belief that the jury reached the correct decision, demonstrated bias. Retired District Judge Michael Chitty was appointed to preside over subsequent hearings. Following a two-day evidentiary hearing, Judge Chitty denied Anthony’s request for a new trial. The defense argued that a prior “gentleman’s agreement” to exclude character evidence—intended to prevent racial tension—hindered their strategy and prevented Anthony from testifying. This evidence included violent text messages from Anthony and records of Metcalf’s history of bullying and racial slurs. While the denial maintains Anthony’s sentence, his attorneys are continuing to pursue an appeal, maintaining that the jury was not presented with relevant evidence to support a self-defense claim. ~~Jeff Metcalf,~~ In early September 2026, Anthony’s family launched a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign seeking $250,000 to fund the ~~victim’s father, stated~~ ongoing legal appeal. His legal team continues to contend that ~~while he has forgiven Anthony,~~ the ~~conviction does not bring his family justice, describing~~ original trial was fundamentally compromised by the ~~loss as a “life sentence” for them. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis stated that~~ agreement between prosecutors ~~expected the decision~~ and ~~remain confident in the original verdict.~~ defense attorneys, which they claim kept critical evidence from jurors and prevented Anthony from testifying.

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