Saturday, August 22, 2026

Judge denies Karmelo Anthony’s request for new trial in Austin Metcalf murder case

 Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s bid for a retrial was shot down by a Texas judge Saturday.

Anthony’s lawyers argued that the June trial was compromised due to strict courtroom rules, and improper instructions to the jury. They also clashed with prosecutors over an agreement to focus on events leading up to the fatal stabbing.

Anthony, 19, was found guilty of murder on June 9 and sentenced to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing another high school student, Austin Metcalf, at a high school track meet near Dallas.

Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s bid for a retrial was shot down by a Texas judge Saturday.Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP

The teen murderer scored a legal win following his conviction by getting the original Judge John Roach tossed from the case after he told a reporter  with a local outlet that jurors “got it right” when they convicted Anthony.“Yeah, they did, whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach told WFAA TV.

Anthony, who did not testify in his murder trial, claimed to have acted in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf, 17, inside a tent at the April 2025 track meet.

Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, was allegedly stabbed in the chest by then-17-year-old Karmelo Anthony in Texas.

The stabbing occurred after Metcalf told Anthony to leave the tent, which belonged to his high school.

Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent which was erected beneath the bleachers at the meet that multiple high schools were taking part in when Metcalf and other students repeatedly told him to leave.


Here’s the latest on Karmelo Anthony’s appeal of his murder conviction:


The situation escalated and Anthony threatened Metcalf: “touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Metcalf pushed Anthony – who witnesses testified was the aggressor – who pulled a knife put of his bag and fatally stabbed the football standout.

The knife Karmelo Anthony used to fatally stab Austin Metcalf is seen in court documents released on June 19.

The case garnered national spotlight and race became a defining issue during the trial; Anthony is black and Metcalf was white.

The prosecution and defense both told the jury that the tragedy was not racially motivated, but families of both teens said they’ve received harassment and threats.

The prosecutors and Anthony’s defense reached a gentleman’s agreement not to release certain evidence to the jury – much of which has been subsequently revealed.

In one disturbing text message kept from the jury, Anthony had threatened to shoot up his school.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/judge-makes-decision-on-karmelo-anthonys-request-for-a-new-trial/

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Judge denies Karmelo Anthony’s request for new trial in Austin Metcalf murder case

  Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s bid for a retrial was shot down by a Texas judge Saturday. Anthony’s lawyers argued that the June tri...