Defense attorneys for Karmelo Anthony, who was found guilty of murdering Austin Metcalf by stabbing him to death at a school sporting event, are seeking a new trial for their client, alleging bias from the judge in the case, unclear instructions given to the jury, and a host of other issues.
To be clear, this is not an appeal. These lawyers are seeking a whole new trial for Anthony. The request is likely to be denied.
There is going to be a hearing on this in August.
FOX 4 in Texas reports:
Hearings are set for next month as Karmelo Anthony seeks a new trial, six weeks after he was sentenced to prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet stabbing.
What we know: Anthony’s legal team is seeking a new trial over claims that the trial was effectively closed to the public, that prosecutors did not honor an off-the-record evidentiary agreement, and that instructions to the jury made it difficult for them to consider Anthony acted in self-defense.
They also asked for Judge John Roach to be removed from post-trial hearings because of his alleged bias.
In court filings, Anthony’s lawyers said the judge made comments to news reporters following the trial and “expressed personal opinions about the propriety and correctness of the jury’s verdict, the fairness of the trial and the correctness of the judge’s own rulings during the trial.”
When a reporter asked Roach if the jury got it right, he responded, “Yeah, they did.” The judge then reportedly explained himself and talked about his rulings.
The defense argued that the judge’s personal views suggest his probable decision on a motion for a new trial.
Again, this strategy is very unlikely to work.
🚨 Karmelo Anthony — the kid who stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf to death at a high school track meet in Frisco last year, just got his “new trial” hearings set for next month.
He was FOUND GUILTY of first-degree murder. Sentenced to 35 years. Self-defense claim rejected by… pic.twitter.com/3sTxsY0gIJ
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) July 25, 2026
Guilty is guilty. He can have 50 more trials and he’ll still be found guilty. This is an open and closed case. Nothing they present to the court will make any difference. But MAYBE he’ll end up with a LONGER sentence. THAT would be worth a new trial!
— Lola (@Chrisheff63) July 25, 2026
Anthony was lucky to avoid the death penalty.
Another trial is not going to magically find him innocent and send him home.
Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. Since 2008 he has contributed work to the Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller, Breitbart, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.
You can email Mike LaChance here, and read more of Mike LaChance’s articles here.
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