A judge has denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial in the murder of Austin Metcalf, rejecting arguments from Anthony’s new defense team that problems with his original trial warranted throwing out his conviction and 35-year prison sentence.
Judge Michael Chitty issued the ruling Saturday following a hearing that stretched into Friday evening.
Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet in April 2025. A Collin County jury rejected Anthony’s claim of self-defense and found that he intentionally stabbed Metcalf during an altercation.
Chitty was appointed to handle the matter after the judge who presided over Anthony’s murder trial was removed from the post-trial proceedings.
In his Aug. 22 order, Chitty said he considered the defense’s arguments, evidence presented during the hearing, and applicable case law before denying the motion.
“Upon reviewing the motion, the record, the evidence and argument, the briefs, and the relevant case law, the Court has determined that the motion should be denied,” Chitty wrote.
The ruling leaves Anthony’s conviction and 35-year sentence intact, although his attorneys can continue challenging the case through the appeals process.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said prosecutors anticipated the ruling.
“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Willis said in a statement. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”
Defense challenges fairness of trial
The hearing produced new details about Anthony, Metcalf, and the decisions attorneys made leading up to and during the murder trial.
Two attorneys who are close friends personally but found themselves on opposite sides of the case took the witness stand. At one point, testimony grew heated as questions focused on whether Anthony received a fair trial.
Anthony returned to the courtroom and sat alongside his new defense team as attorneys argued that the circumstances surrounding his murder trial were so unusual that his conviction and sentence should be set aside.
One of the key witnesses was Toby Shook, a member of Anthony’s trial defense team.
Shook testified that prosecutors had put the defense in a difficult position as attorneys considered whether Anthony should testify in his own defense.
According to Shook, the original plan called for Anthony to take the witness stand. That strategy changed, however, because of an agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys limiting the introduction of information about the backgrounds of both Anthony and Metcalf.
Anthony’s new attorneys argued that decisions surrounding his ability to testify and other aspects of the original proceedings deprived him of a fair trial.
Chitty ultimately disagreed, leaving the jury’s murder conviction in place and setting the stage for Anthony’s legal fight to move to the appellate courts.