A Texas judge is reviewing Karmelo Anthony‘s request for a new trial following his conviction for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison this summer for the incident that occurred at a high school track meet in 2025. During today’s hearing, prosecutors revealed a “gentleman’s agreement” with Anthony’s defense to exclude certain evidence from the trial to prevent racial tensions. This evidence included texts from Anthony expressing violent thoughts and Metcalf’s juvenile record involving racist graffiti.
Anthony’s defense team argues that the trial was unfair, citing restrictive courtroom rules and an alleged breach of the pretrial agreement by the prosecution. They claim that these factors, along with Judge John Roach’s public comments endorsing the verdict, compromised Anthony’s right to a fair trial. According to ABC News, Judge Roach has been removed from the case, and Judge Sid Harle will oversee the new proceedings.
The defense’s motion for a new trial also highlights the prosecution’s alleged failure to honor the agreement, which led to a change in defense strategy. As reported by NBC DFW, this included not calling Anthony to testify to avoid exposing him to potentially damaging evidence.
Prosecutors maintain that the trial was conducted ethically and that the jury’s verdict was fair. They argue that the evidence presented justified Anthony’s conviction. The hearing on Anthony’s motion for a new trial continues as his legal team seeks to overturn the original verdict and secure a retrial.
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