Karmelo Anthony, a 19-year-old high school student, will have his bid for a new murder trial heard by a Texas judge on Thursday, two months after being found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The hearing comes after Judge John Roach was removed from the case due to concerns about his impartiality. Prosecutors had called the stabbing "unjustified" and "plain and simple murder", while Anthony's defense argued he acted in self-defense. A motion for a new trial claims that Anthony was coerced into waiving his right to testify, among other alleged errors in the trial process.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Karmelo Anthony, 19, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf, 17, at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. A jury found him guilty of murder two months ago, on June 9. However, just yesterday, the judge who presided over the trial was removed from further proceedings due to allegations of bias. Now, a new hearing is set for Thursday to determine whether Anthony should receive a new trial. His attorneys claim he was "coerced" into waiving his right to testify, which they say is grounds for a new trial. The original trial drew attention due to its high-profile nature, leading the judge to impose a gag order and ban electronics from the courtroom.
Written for “Karmelo Anthony Murder Trial” on 2026-08-31,
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 1474 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-21
Hearing on Karmelo Anthony's bid for new trial in track meet stabbing set for Thursday
Anthony was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
asserted
Anthony → set → Metcalf
A Texas judge is set to hear arguments Thursday on whether Karmelo Anthony should get a new trial, two months after a jury convicted and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing a fellow student at a high school track meet.
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jury → set → meet
The hearing comes a day after the Collin County judge who presided over the murder trial was removed from further proceedings in the case.
asserted
who → come → case
Prosecutors called the deadly stabbing "unjustified" and "plain and simple murder," while the defense argued that Anthony acted in self-defense when he stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco in April 2025.
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he → call → April
After hearing four days of testimony, a Collin County jury found Anthony, 19, guilty of murder following three hours of deliberation on June 9.
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Anthony → hear → June
The same jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison after several more hours of deliberation.
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jury → sentence → deliberation
Anthony's attorneys claimed in a motion seeking a new trial that the teen was "coerced" into waiving his right to testify, stemming from a purported dispute between defense attorneys and prosecutors about whether his testimony would be covered by an agreement limiting some character evidence in the trial.
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testimony → claim → trial
Defense attorneys alleged this denied him a "complete defense."
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this → allege → defense
The defense also alleged that Collin County Judge John Roach improperly instructed the jury and that his courtroom restrictions, which limited public access to the proceedings, denied Anthony a fair trial.
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which → allege → trial
In a statement to ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA ahead of this week's hearings, Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye said Anthony's new attorneys "filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings.
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attorneys → say → proceedings
"
"I and the entire prosecution team conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court's ruling and any agreements with defense counsel," Wirskye added.
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Wirskye → conduct → counsel
A new judge will preside over Thursday's hearing, after Judge Sid Harle granted the defense's motion to recuse Roach from any further matters in the Anthony case.
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Harle → preside → case
In his order issued Wednesday, Harle wrote that there were grounds for recusal "in that the evidence adduced at the hearing is such that the respondent judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned."
uncertain
impartiality → issue → hearing
Retired Kaufman County District Judge Michael Chitty has been assigned to oversee the case.
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Chitty → assign → case
In the defense motion seeking to recuse the trial judge from the post-trial proceedings, Anthony's attorneys questioned both Roach's impartiality in the case and his courtroom restrictions.
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attorneys → seek → case
The motion cited what it called "problematic comments" Roach made during an interview following the verdict, in which it said the judge "endorsed the jury's guilty verdict" and defended his courtroom restrictions.
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judge → cite → restrictions
It also pointed to a public letter Roach released following the trial, in which he stated that those who worked on the case "contributed to ensuring the process was conducted fairly."
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process → point → case
Anthony's attorneys said Wednesday that they are "pleased" with Harle's decision to recuse Roach and "look forward to presenting the merits of Karmelo's motion for a new trial to a fair and independent judge."
Ahead of the high-profile trial, Roach imposed a gag order and barred any electronics from the courtroom during the proceedings due to the attention the case had garnered.
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case → say → attention
"Due to the significant public and media interest in this case, the Court finds that specific procedures are necessary to ensure the Defendant's right to a fair and impartial trial, the orderly administration of justice, the safety and security of all participants, and reasonable public access consistent with constitutional requirements," Roach wrote in a May order.
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Roach → find → order
On Wednesday, Chitty ordered that the trial procedures will remain in effect at this time for future proceedings in the case.
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procedures → order → case
