JUST IN: Judge Issues Decision On Karmelo Anthony’s Request For A Retrial

On Aug 22, 2026

A Collin County judge has denied a request by Karmelo Anthony for a new trial in the murder of Austin Metcalf. Retired District Judge Michael Chitty issued the ruling on Saturday, August 22 following a two-day evidentiary hearing.

Anthony, then 17 and a student at Frisco Centennial High School, was charged in the April 2, 2025, stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf of Frisco Memorial High School. The incident occurred during a Frisco Independent School District track meet at Kuykendall Stadium.

According to trial evidence, Anthony entered a tent designated for Memorial High School athletes. After multiple requests to leave, an altercation occurred in which Anthony produced a knife from a backpack and fatally stabbed Metcalf once in the chest. Anthony instantly confessed to the killing and was ultimately charged with murder as an adult.

A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of murder on June 9, 2026, after rejecting his self-defense claim and a lesser option of manslaughter. The same jury later sentenced him to 35 years in prison, also rejecting a finding of “sudden passion” that could have reduced the range of punishment.

Following the conviction, Anthony obtained a new legal team and requested a retrial. Anthony’s lawyers claimed that courtroom restrictions during the original trial violated the Sixth Amendment violated the right to a public trial due to lack of seating in the courtroom and lack of additional viewing options.

Second, it contended that an informal, unwritten “gentleman’s agreement” between the original defense attorneys and prosecutors improperly shaped the proceedings. Under that arrangement, both sides agreed to exclude character evidence, reputation testimony, and extraneous acts involving either Anthony or Metcalf so the trial would focus solely on events at the tent.

Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial has been denied.

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The defense claimed that the agreement broke down on the final day of the guilt-innocence phase when prosecutors indicated it would not apply if Anthony testified, leading to a dispute in chambers. As a result, Anthony chose not to take the stand, which the motion said deprived him of a complete defense.

The motion also sought recusal of the original trial judge, John Roach Jr., citing public statements he made after the verdict, which was granted. This led to Judge Chitty being assigned to the motion for a new trial.

During the two-day hearing, original defense attorneys Mike Howard and Toby Shook testified about their understanding of the agreement and its impact on trial strategy. They stated the defense had planned for Anthony to testify about the confrontation but abandoned that plan after the dispute.

The hearing also brought forward previously excluded background information. Prosecutors presented evidence from Anthony’s phone, school records, and other sources that had been kept from the original jury. This included text messages in which Anthony allegedly described fantasizing about stabbing someone and licking the blood off the blade.

Additional messages referenced an obsession with knives and guns, threats, and statements about fighting. Records showed Anthony had been enrolled around age 6 or 7 in a behavioral program at Louisiana State University for children who struggled with behavioral issues, including difficulties keeping their hands to themselves, following repeated school incidents involving pushing, punching, and related conduct while living in Louisiana.

Other material involved reports of stalking by a former girlfriend on the morning of the stabbing and various disciplinary entries.