Texas judge denies new trial request convicted killer Karmelo Anthony heads to appeals

A Texas judge has denied a request for a new trial from Karmelo Anthony, the teenager convicted of murdering Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet. The decision, issued by retired District Judge Michael Chitty on Saturday, August 22, 2026, upholds Anthony's first-degree murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence, shifting the case to the appellate court system.

Anthony, now 19, was found guilty by a Collin County jury in June for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in April 2025 during a Frisco Independent School District track meet. The jury rejected his self-defense claim and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Following the conviction, Anthony secured a new legal team that filed motions seeking a retrial and the recusal of original trial judge John Roach Jr.

The request for a new trial centered on several arguments, including claims that courtroom restrictions violated Anthony's right to a public trial and that jury instructions improperly limited consideration of his self-defense claim. The most prominent allegation involved an informal, unwritten "gentleman's agreement" between the original defense and prosecutors to withhold potentially damaging character...