UPDATE: 10:30am
The trial judge who presided over the case of Texas teenager convicted of fatally stabbing a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet was ordered removed from the case as the defendant seeks a new trial and appeals his conviction.
Anthony’s legal team argued Wednesday that a retrial was warranted in part because state District Judge John Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview after the trial was over. A new judge will be assigned for Thursday’s hearing on the retrial request.
Hearings are underway this morning at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney as lawyers for Karmelo Anthony ask a visiting judge to remove the trial judge and grant a new trial in the Frisco track meet stabbing case.
According to court filings and local reports, visiting Judge Sid Harle is scheduled to hear the recusal request Wednesday at 9 a.m. If Judge John Roach Jr. is recused, another judge would preside Thursday over Anthony’s motion for a new trial. KERA News reports an overflow room with a video feed is available.
A Collin County jury in June convicted Anthony, now 19, of murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco. The jury sentenced Anthony to 35 years in prison. Anthony, who was 17 at the time, claimed self-defense. Metcalf died from a stab wound after a confrontation in the bleachers.
JUSTICE FOR KARMELO ANTHONY
— Next Generation Action Network (NGAN) (@NextGenAction) August 16, 2026
Join me August 19 & 20 at the Collin County Courthouse for two important hearings.
Our presence matters. Our voices matter. This is a moment for our community to remain informed, engaged, organized, and united in the pursuit of justice.
Beat us… pic.twitter.com/m9EE9Doz45
Anthony’s new defense team, led by Russell Wilson, argues Roach should be recused because of post-trial comments to reporters and because courtroom restrictions limited public access. NBC 5 reports the defense also cites those access limits as a violation of Anthony’s right to a public trial. Filings further claim prosecutors did not honor an off-the-record agreement on what character evidence could be used, and that jury instructions made it harder to consider self-defense.
The Dallas Morning News reports Texas law generally requires a ruling on a motion for a new trial within 75 days of sentencing. That deadline is approaching late this month. If the court does not rule in time, the motion is denied by operation of law.
Anthony’s family and supporters have asked people to gather at the courthouse for the hearings. The Next Generation Action Network posted a public call for supporters to attend Wednesday and Thursday. During the June trial, crowds for both Anthony and Metcalf gathered outside the courthouse, and sheriff’s deputies broke up confrontations.
Prosecutors have not publicly conceded the recusal or new-trial claims. Roach has said he followed the law. Anthony is serving his sentence at a Texas prison while the post-trial motions proceed.
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