Karmelo Anthony’s legal team is requesting a new trial and the recusal of a state judge just one month after a Texas jury convicted the 19-year-old of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a 2025 track meet.

In a motion filed Tuesday, Anthony’s defense attorneys contended that prosecutors coerced him into waiving his right to testify. They also accused prosecutors of violating an agreement to base their case solely on events "under the tent that day," without introducing extraneous conduct or character evidence about either Anthony or Metcalf.

According to the defense filing, this agreement was reached after several off-the-record discussions and was not explicitly referenced in court documents to prevent media coverage of alleged prior misdeeds involving both teenagers. Following this understanding, defense lawyers refrained from questioning students about recorded police statements concerning Metcalf’s alleged temperament.

However, on the final day of evidence, prosecutors argued that a mention of Anthony playing chess in the opening statement "opened the door" to character-related evidence.

The deadly encounter occurred in Frisco, a suburb 28 miles north of Dallas, and attracted national attention amid debates over racial dynamics—Anthony is Black, Metcalf was white—particularly in conservative media. After the sentencing, the county district attorney declared that "justice was served" at a news conference alongside the Metcalf family.

Additionally, a person was banned from entering Texas last month after allegedly making a terroristic threat against Anthony.

Sources