A Texas judge denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
Retired Kaufman County District Judge Michael Chitty, 65, issued the ruling Saturday in McKinney after a two-day hearing that stretched into Friday evening. Anthony, 19, had been convicted of murder on June 9 and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Metcalf, 17, at a Frisco ISD track meet. Chitty’s half-page order offered no elaboration beyond stating he had reviewed the motion, record, evidence, arguments, briefs and relevant case law.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said in a statement after the denial: “We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial. 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.”
Anthony’s appellate attorney, Russell Wilson, fired back with a promise to continue fighting. “We respectfully disagree with the ruling and remain firmly committed to protecting our client’s rights,” Wilson said. “We believe the issues raised in our motion are substantial and deserve meaningful appellate review. The denial of our motion does not end this case. We will continue the appeal in the Fifth Court of Appeals and pursue every legal remedy available to our client.”
Wilson added: “Our commitment to our client has not changed. We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.”
The defense team’s motion had centered on a purported “gentleman’s agreement” between prosecutors and Anthony’s original trial attorneys to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers from reaching the jury. Anthony’s lawyers claimed this off-the-record pact ultimately coerced him into waiving his right to testify, as a heated dispute erupted between the lawyers over whether his testimony would be covered by the agreement. Anthony did not take the stand during his June trial.
At the hearing, prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair and denied there was any agreement preventing Anthony from testifying. Wirskye said he had agreed not to use evidence showing Anthony had an obsession with guns and knives and that he was angry on the morning of the stabbing. “He went there that day spoiling for a fight,” Wirskye said about Anthony.
The defense also attacked original trial judge John Roach Jr. For strict courtroom rules they said limited public access, and for giving a post-trial TV interview to Dallas station WFAA in which he expressed agreement with the jury’s guilty verdict. “Yeah, they did,” Roach said when asked if jurors got it right. “Whatever they say, they got it right.” A visiting judge granted the defense’s request to recuse Roach from the appeals process last Wednesday, calling it an “abundance of caution.”
In the viral moment that spawned the case, Anthony sat under a tent belonging to Memorial High School at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco on a rainy April day in 2025 while multiple schools competed at the track meet. Metcalf and other students repeatedly told Anthony, who attended Centennial High School, to leave their tent. The confrontation escalated, and Anthony threatened Metcalf: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report. Witnesses testified that Metcalf pushed Anthony, who then pulled a knife from his bag and fatally stabbed the unarmed football standout in the chest. Jurors rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim after three hours of deliberation.
The case drew national attention and became racially charged on social media, though lawyers on both sides told jurors the tragedy was not racially motivated. Both families reported receiving harassment and threats. During the new trial hearing, prosecutors revealed disturbing text messages from Anthony’s past that had been kept from the jury, including a 2023 message in which he wrote: “imma shoot the school up tmr.” The defense also presented information about Metcalf’s history, including allegations of using racial slurs and bullying Black classmates.
Anthony’s legal team will now take its appeal to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.