KILLER Karmelo Anthony has scored a legal victory in his effort to appeal his murder conviction after being sentenced to 35 years.

Judge John Roach, who oversaw the divisive trial in June, has been booted from presiding over Anthony’s appeal process for a new trial.

Karmelo Anthony’s latest mugshot as he serves his 35-year sentence for the murder of Austin Metcalf

A courtroom sketch showed Karmelo Anthony (center) at the defense table during his trial on June 4 in McKinney, Texas

Anthony’s defense team, led by Russell Wilson II, filed a motion in Collin County Court in Texas seeking to remove Roach from future proceedings due to his public remarks about the case after the trial.

The defense underscored Roach’s statements about the trial’s outcome to news outlets, where he called Anthony a “nice young man who committed a crime.”

Wilson II said the judge’s comments created a concern for the defense that Roach became personally involved in issues that could cloud his judgment in Anthony’s effort for a new trial.

The defense attorney also took issue with Roach’s ruling to prohibit cameras in the courtroom and limit public seating.

Roach defended his decision to ban cameras, telling ABC affiliate WFAA in June that social media caused the trial to get off to a “bad start.”

The judge said the online chatter led to the spread of misinformation and doxxing of individuals connected to the case.

When asked if he believed the jury got the verdict right, Roach responded, “They did, you know why, because they were picked based upon the law.”

“Whatever they say, they get it right. As long as I follow the law, I sleep well at night and I slept well in that case,” Roach added.

“I’m here to follow the law to a T and I’m proud that I did that.

“I hope the Anthony family thinks they got a fair trial in this courtroom.”

Judge Sid Harle’s decision to remove Roach from future proceedings comes ahead of Thursday’s hearing on a motion for a new trial under a newly appointed judge.

The Anthony family was in attendance for Wednesday’s hearing.

Austin Metcalf was a 17-year-old senior at Frisco Memorial High School

Court records showed the tent where the confrontation between Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf occurred on April 2, 2025

Karmelo Anthony was convicted in June for the fatal stabbing of high schooler Austin Metcalf during a track meet at the David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025.

The confrontation between Anthony, then 17, and Metcalf, 17, erupted in the bleachers under a tent designated for the Frisco Memorial High School track team.

Bodycam footage after the deadly stabbing showed Anthony, who attended Centennial High School, sobbing to police saying Metcalf put his hands on him.

He put his hands on me. I told him not to put his hands on me,” Anthony is heard crying to a Frisco police officer as he was being escorted out of the Kuykendall Stadium in handcuffs.

Anthony, now 19, used a $13 Walmart camping knife to fatally stab Metcalf in the chest.

The blade, which comes equipped with a flashlight and a glass breaker, is part of a 6-in-1 Ozark Trail multi-tool sold by the retail giant.

Metcalf suffered a single stab wound 2.5 inches deep to the left side of his chest, according to an autopsy report.

Anthony’s defense team argued he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense, fearing his life was in danger due to his small stature compared to the victim, who was a linebacker on Frisco High School’s football team.

At his sentencing, Metcalf’s grieving family slammed their son’s killer in court and demanded that Anthony look them in the eye.

In a rage-filled victim impact statement, Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, stared down Anthony and blasted him for refusing to face the family whose lives he destroyed.

“You’re going to prison. You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f****ng son in the heart,” Jeff told Anthony.

Jeff described the “unfiltered rage” he has lived with since his son’s death and told the court he had been “destroyed” by the tragedy.

“People think that grief is sadness, but it’s not. IT’S RAGE!!! Pure unfiltered rage,” he shouted.

Surveillance footage showed the moment Frisco police escorted Anthony out of the David Kuykendall Stadium in handcuffs

The trial and its outcome has continued to racially divide Americans due to Anthony being Black and Metcalf being White

Addressing Anthony directly, the emotional father added, “You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.

“You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society. You don’t belong in this community.”

Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, also pleaded with Anthony to meet his gaze as he delivered a heartbreaking statement about losing his best friend.

“If you could just look me in the eye while I speak, I would really respect that,” Hunter said.

But Anthony kept his head down as Hunter accused him of swallowing evil to take control on the day of the killing.

“You let the devil take over in that moment,” he said.

“Eventually your name will be forgotten, but my brother’s memory will live on.”

Hunter told the court he wanted “everything to be taken” from Anthony after losing the brother he had expected to spend the rest of his life alongside.

“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend from this world,” he said.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16864858/karmelo-anthony-new-trial-effort-austin-metcalf/