Texas Judge to Weigh New Trial Motion for Teenager Convicted in Track Meet Stabbing Death

A Texas judge is set to decide Thursday whether Karmelo Anthony deserves a new trial after his summer conviction in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track competition. The 19-year-old Anthony currently faces a 35-year prison sentence following his guilty verdict in the McKinney, Texas case.

Anthony’s legal team achieved a procedural victory when the original trial judge was disqualified from the case Wednesday. State District Judge John Roach, who oversaw the initial proceedings, has been replaced by Judge Michael Chitty to evaluate the retrial request.

Anthony’s attorneys sought Roach’s removal after the judge gave a television interview stating that jurors “got it right” in delivering their guilty verdict. The defense team contends the June trial was compromised by overly restrictive courtroom procedures and erroneous jury instructions that undermined their client’s right to a fair hearing.

The stabbing occurred last year in stadium bleachers when a confrontation between Anthony and Metcalf escalated over Anthony’s refusal to leave a tent belonging to Metcalf’s team during a rainy spring day. Witnesses testified that Anthony reached into a bag and told Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens,” before pulling a knife and striking Metcalf in the chest.

Anthony claimed he acted in self-defense, but jurors rejected that assertion. The defense asserts that Anthony declined to testify after prosecutors and his legal team disputed trial focus arrangements, further compromising the proceedings.

The case garnered significant national attention partly due to social media amplification framed in racial terms, as Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. Both legal teams instructed jurors the case had no racial dimension, and both families reported experiencing online harassment amid the heightened scrutiny.