A judge denies a retrial for Karmelo Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years for killing a student during a school competition
The young man was found guilty of the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who was stabbed during an argument at a track and field meet in Texas.
(Voz / Christian Camacho)
On Saturday a judge in Texas rejected the request by Karmelo Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old student who died after being stabbed during a school track and field meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025.
Retired Judge Michael Chitty denied the petition after reviewing the arguments, the evidence and the case file. The ruling upholds both the murder conviction and the 35-year sentence imposed on Anthony, 19, according to Fox News.
Who is Karmelo Anthony, and what happened?
Anthony was a student and athlete at Frisco Centennial High School when the crime occurred. On April 2, 2025, he was at a track and field meet in Frisco when he got into a confrontation with Austin Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School.
According to the indictment presented during the trial, the argument began after Metcalf asked Anthony to leave an area reserved for members of his team. The altercation turned physical and Anthony ended up stabbing Metcalf in the chest. The victim later died from the wound.
The defense argued during the trial that Anthony acted in self-defense, an argument that was ultimately rejected by the jury. In June 2026, a Collin County jury found him guilty of murder after about three hours of deliberation and subsequently sentenced him to 35 years in prison.
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The dispute that led to a request for a new trial
Anthony's former attorneys stated that they understood this agreement would allow the young man to testify about what happened during the confrontation without opening the door to other potentially damaging evidence. However, on the final day of the trial, a dispute arose over whether the agreement would remain in effect if Anthony took the stand. Ultimately, the young man did not testify in his own defense.
Prosecutors denied that they had breached the agreement and pointed out that it had never been explicitly established how it would work in the event that Anthony testified. The defense argued that this situation affected its ability to fully present the self-defense argument.
The new attorneys also challenged restrictions on access to the courtroom and certain instructions given to the jury. Despite these arguments, Chitty ruled that there were insufficient grounds to grant a new trial.
Anthony's attorney, Russell Wilson, stated that he will continue to challenge the conviction before the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Texas. For his part, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis stated that the district attorney's office remains confident in the process and noted that the guilty verdict remains in effect.
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