Photo: Collin County Sheriff's Office
On Wednesday (August 19), attorneys for Karmelo Anthony, a 19-year-old convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet last year, will argue for a new judge to oversee his appeal hearing. Anthony's defense team claims the trial judge made prejudicial statements after Anthony's conviction and sentencing to 35 years in prison. The defense is also seeking a new trial, citing constitutional rights violations during the initial proceedings.
The case, which has racial overtones due to Anthony being Black and Metcalf being white, has garnered significant attention. Anthony's family has called for supporters to attend the hearing. According to NBC DFW, Anthony's defense attorney, Mike Howard, alleges that a pretrial agreement with prosecutors was not honored, affecting the defense strategy. This alleged agreement involved limiting evidence about both Anthony and the Metcalf twins, which was not upheld, leading to a change in defense strategy and Anthony not testifying.
Howard's affidavit claims the defense was given only 10 minutes to discuss Anthony's Fifth Amendment rights before deciding he should not testify. The defense argues this breach of agreement impacted witness examinations and sentencing strategy. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis' office has disputed these claims, asserting the trial was conducted ethically and in compliance with court rulings.
As reported by FOX 4 News, the defense also seeks to remove Judge John Roach from post-trial hearings due to alleged bias. Judge Roach reportedly expressed personal opinions about the trial's fairness and the jury's verdict to reporters, which the defense argues indicates his probable decision on a new trial motion.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday (August 20) to address the motion for a new trial, following the motion to replace Judge Roach. Anthony is currently serving his sentence at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota, Texas, while his post-trial motions are pending.