Karmelo Anthony’s legal team has filed a motion seeking a new trial and the recusal of the presiding judge, 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 Austin Metcalf, 17, at a track meet in 2025.
The defense argues that prosecutors coerced Anthony into waiving his right to testify by threatening to introduce extraneous-conduct evidence, which they claim violated an unwritten agreement between both sides. The agreement, reached through off-the-record calls, was intended to limit the trial to events that occurred under the tent where the stabbing took place.
Anthony’s attorneys also allege that the court violated his constitutional right to a public trial by restricting camera and streaming access. They further claim the jury was improperly advised to disregard Anthony’s self-defense claim, which they argue was central to the case.
In a separate filing, the defense requested the recusal of state District Court Judge John Roach, citing an interview he gave to a Dallas TV station where he expressed personal opinions about the trial’s fairness and his own rulings. The attorneys argue this violated judicial conduct standards on objectivity.
The defense also criticized the trial’s pace, including a Saturday court date that prevented several witnesses from testifying. They stated that Anthony was given only ten minutes to decide whether to testify, which they argue was insufficient time for a 19-year-old to make such a consequential decision.