Key facts
- Karmelo Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17.
- Anthony's defense team is seeking a new trial and the recusal of a state judge.
- The defense claims prosecutors coerced Anthony into waiving his right to testify.
- Attorneys argue that prosecutors broke an agreement not to use extraneous conduct evidence.
- The defense also cited restrictions on camera and streaming access as a violation of the right to a public trial.
- The defense stated the jury was improperly advised to disregard Anthony's self-defense claim.
Karmelo Anthony's legal team is seeking a new trial and the recusal of a state judge, a month after the 19-year-old was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a track meet in 2025.
In a Tuesday motion, Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that their client’s conviction should be overturned because prosecutors coerced him into waiving his right to testify. The defense lawyers accused prosecutors of breaking a promise to build their cases "based only on what happened under the tent that day," rather than any "extraneous-conduct evidence" regarding either Metcalf or Anthony’s characters and reputations. The defense team stated that this agreement was reached after several off-the-record calls and was unwritten.
Abiding by this agreement, the lawyers said they did not further question students on the stand about recorded statements to police regarding Metcalf’s alleged temperament. On the final day of evidence, according to Anthony’s attorneys, prosecutors claimed a detail about their client playing chess in the opening statement “opened the door” to character-related evidence. Anthony opted not to testify due to a court advisory that his testimony would “almost certainly open” the door to the “extraneous-offence evidence”.
Anthony’s lawyers also claimed their client’s constitutional right to a public trial was violated by restrictions on camera and streaming access, and that the jury was improperly advised to disregard Anthony’s self-defense claim. "On a record in which self-defense was the heart of the case, that error was not harmless, and it requires a new trial," the lawyers wrote in the motion.
The Collin county district attorney’s office did not reply to a request for comment. After the jury handed down the 35-year prison sentence, the county district attorney said “justice was served” at a news conference, standing alongside the Metcalf family.
The deadly encounter, which occurred in Frisco, a suburb 28 miles north of Dallas, drew national attention and stoked online debate over perceived racial dimensions – Anthony is Black, Metcalf was white – particularly among conservative media. The far-right influencer Jake Lang and his group, Protect White Americans, staged protests in Frisco, touting racist narratives. Lang was banned from entering Texas last month, after allegedly making a terroristic threat against Anthony.
During jury selection, the case generated attention after three African-American individuals were struck from the jury. Prosecutors denied the move was related to race, stating it had to do with their background as educators.