Texas Teen Convicted in Track Meet Stabbing Demands New Trial
Karmelo Anthony, convicted of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf, seeks a new trial, citing judicial bias and flawed jury instructions.
A Texas teenager convicted of fatally stabbing a fellow athlete at a high school track meet is asking a court to overturn the verdict and grant him a fresh trial.
Karmelo Anthony, now 19, was found guilty of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The Collin County jury rejected his self-defense claim after deliberating for less than three hours.
Hearings on Anthony's requests for a retrial and a new judge began Wednesday in suburban Dallas. His legal team contends that state District Judge John Roach imposed overly restrictive courtroom rules and provided incomplete instructions to the jury.
The case drew widespread attention due to social media posts framing the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; the victim, Austin Metcalf, was white. However, lawyers on both sides told jurors that race was not a factor in the tragedy.
Anthony did not testify during the trial. Witnesses described a heated dispute that began when Anthony, who attended a different school, refused to leave a tent belonging to Metcalf's team during a rainy spring meet.
Prosecutors argued that Anthony provoked the confrontation and was the aggressor. According to a police report, Anthony reached into a bag and said, "Touch me and see what happens." Metcalf then pushed Anthony, who allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.