Karmelo Anthony, who was previously convicted in the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, won a key legal decision Wednesday after his attorney persuaded a court that the judge who handled the case should be removed from Anthony’s appeal.
Anthony’s new legal team argued that Judge John Roach should not oversee the appeal, pointing to remarks he made in an interview with WFAA-TV.
After the guilty verdict, Roach described Anthony as a “nice young man,” while also saying he believed the jury reached the correct decision in convicting him of murder.
“As long as I follow the law, I sleep well at night,” Roach said.
Anthony’s attorneys claimed those statements amounted to “public comment about an impending proceeding” and argued that Roach had breached judicial ethics rules.
“Senior Judge Sid Harle granted the defense team’s motion, acknowledging that recusal is a ‘very high bar,’ and stating that although he personally believes Roach was capable of presiding over the case impartially, ‘that’s not ‘the test,’” noted the New York Post.
Prosecutor Bill Wirskye objected to the decision.
“He didn’t do anything wrong. I know Judge Roach. What is important to Judge Roach is being fair,” Wirskye said, while also accusing social media influencers of mounting a “concerted effort” to disrupt the trial.
“Some of them are here today,” he said.
Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of the 2025 murder of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas; Anthony maintained that he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense following an altercation over a seating dispute. As Fox News reported in 2025:
An arrest report obtained by Fox News sheds new light on the pre-stabbing clash after Metcalf reportedly told Anthony that he needed to move out of the Memorial team’s tent, a witness told Frisco police. The report noted that Anthony “grabbed his bag, opened it and reached inside it” and said, “Touch me and see what happens.”
“Austin stood up and pushed the male to get him out of the tent,” the arrest report said.
In the next moment, the witness told police that Anthony “reached into his bag and the male took a knife out of the bag and stabbed Austin.”
Anthony immediately fled the scene after stabbing the 17-year-old Metcalf once in the chest. Metcalf died in his twin brother, Hunter’s, arms.
“I was protecting myself,” Anthony said. “He put his hands on me.”
Anthony immediately confessed to the stabbing when confronted by police – “I’m not alleged, I did it,” he reportedly said – and asked officers if Metcalf was “going to be OK.”
Throughout the trial, witnesses repeatedly said that Anthony had been asked to leave the tent up to 15 times, adding that he instigated the deadly conflict with Metcalf.
Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after 17.5 years.
