A Collin County judge is expected to rule by Monday on whether Karmelo Anthony will receive a new trial following his June conviction for the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a North Texas track meet.
Retired District Judge Michael Chitty presided over a two-day hearing Thursday and Friday in which attorneys presented evidence and testimony related to Anthony’s motion for a retrial. Chitty could issue his ruling as early as Saturday.
Anthony was convicted this past summer of stabbing Metcalf in the chest on April 2 2025 at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco during a confrontation at a district track meet. Witnesses said the altercation began when Metcalf asked Anthony to leave the area beneath Memorial High School’s pop-up tent during a rainstorm. Anthony pulled a knife from his bag and stabbed Metcalf who later died in the arms of his twin brother Hunter.
During Friday’s hearing both former defense attorney Toby Shook and prosecutor Bill Wirskye took the stand. Anthony’s new legal team focused heavily on claims that the original trial judge imposed restrictions that limited public access to the courtroom and violated Anthony’s constitutional rights.
A central issue in the hearing was an informal agreement between the original defense and prosecution teams to keep damaging character evidence out of the trial. Prosecutors revealed the jury never heard about what they described as a documented pattern involving Anthony’s interest in weapons and violence along with allegations that he stalked and threatened his girlfriend.
On Thursday former defense attorney Mike Howard testified at length about the behind-the-scenes negotiations during Anthony’s original trial. He said a major dispute arose when Anthony was on the verge of taking the stand and prosecutors argued the informal agreement would not protect him if he testified. Anthony ultimately chose not to testify saying he felt he would not receive a fair outcome.
The retrial hearing came shortly after a separate proceeding in which San Antonio Judge Sid Harle ruled that original trial judge John Roach should be removed from post-trial proceedings. Anthony’s new defense team cited Roach’s courtroom access restrictions and a public interview in which Roach stated the jury reached the correct verdict.
Anthony told police at the scene that he acted in self-defense. He reportedly told an officer unprompted that he was not an alleged suspect and acknowledged carrying out the stabbing himself. Prosecutors argued during the original trial that the killing was senseless and not justified as self-defense.
Austin Metcalf’s father Jeff has spoken publicly about his son describing him as a student with a 4.0 GPA and a promising future ahead of him.
