A Texas judge denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial on Saturday, upholding the 19-year-old’s murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of his classmate Austin Metcalf at a 2025 track meet.
Conviction and Sentencing
In June, a Collin county jury found Anthony guilty of fatally stabbing Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, a suburb 28 miles (45km) north of Dallas. The court subsequently sentenced him to 35 years in prison.
Anthony’s defense attorneys had sought a retrial, alleging that county prosecutors violated an off-the-record agreement. According to court filings this summer, the defense claimed they had struck a bargain with the state to narrow the trial’s focus strictly to the day of the track meet, excluding allegations that could cast doubt on the moral character of both teenagers.
Alleged Broken Agreement
The deal, Anthony’s lawyers said, was deliberately omitted from court filings to prevent evidence of alleged misdeeds from surfacing in media reports. The defense asserted that the state broke the agreement at the 11th hour, prompting Anthony to forgo taking the stand as originally planned. His testimony, they argued, would have been central to their self-defense argument.
A county prosecutor denied the claim at the time, telling the Guardian that the trial was conducted ethically. The nature of the previously undisclosed evidence came to light this week at a court hearing. The state and defense attorneys presented evidence that Metcalf, who was white, had allegedly engaged in racist behavior, while Anthony had allegedly fantasized about violence, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Prosecutor’s Response
Greg Willis, the Collin county district attorney, issued a statement on Saturday respecting the court’s decision. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing,” Willis said.
Lawyers for Anthony could not be immediately reached for comment.
