Karmelo Anthony’s motion for a new trial continues Friday morning in a Collin County courtroom, one day after attorneys for both sides publicly detailed the racist and violent histories of the 19-year-old and the teen he was convicted of killing.
Anthony, who is Black, is serving a 35-year prison sentence after a Collin County jury in June found him guilty of murder for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who was white, during a confrontation in the bleachers at a Frisco high school track meet in April 2025. The hearing is underway before retired Judge Michael Chitty at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney after the original trial judge, John Roach Jr., was recused Wednesday.
On Thursday, prosecutors and defense attorneys introduced information that had been kept out of the original trial under an informal “gentleman’s agreement.” According to The Dallas Morning News, prosecutor Bill Wirskye described a text Anthony allegedly sent his then-girlfriend in October 2024 in which he fantasized about stabbing someone and licking the blood off the blade. Wirskye also cited the ex-girlfriend’s report to a Frisco Centennial High School teacher that Anthony was stalking her and “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Defense attorney Mike Howard testified that Austin Metcalf and his twin brother had previously been arrested for racist graffiti that included “KKK Kill all Black people,” “Heil Hitler,” an upside-down cross and the N-word. The brothers received a year of probation, according to an offense report and body-camera footage that Howard said verified the incident. Appellate attorney Russell Wilson pointed to additional messages in which Austin Metcalf allegedly suggested someone should be “killed.”
Both sides acknowledged the off-the-record agreement was intended to keep the teens’ pasts from inflaming a case already marked by racial tension and threats. The defense argues prosecutors later withdrew the deal if Anthony testified, leading the teen not to take the stand and weakening his self-defense claim. Wirskye said the agreement helped ensure a fair trial and reduce outside noise.
Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, told NewsNation he supports focusing on what happened the day of the stabbing and said learning of his son’s juvenile record left him “disappointed” as a father, though it does not change the facts of the case.
Toby Shook, another of Anthony’s trial attorneys, is expected to testify Friday. Under Texas law, Chitty has until Monday to rule; if he does not, the motion is automatically denied.
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