The Texas judge who oversaw Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial says he stands by the jury’s decision, while also offering a measured view of the teenager at the center of the case.
Judge John Roach spoke after last week’s closely watched trial, which ended with Anthony receiving a 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
Asked by WFAA whether the jury reached the correct verdict, Roach gave a firm defense of the process and the outcome. “Yes they did because they were picked based upon the law, they listened to the facts, it happened in this courtroom, and they got a verdict,” he said.
Roach also reflected on Anthony personally, saying their limited interactions left him with the impression of a polite young man. At the same time, he stressed that Anthony now faces the lasting consequences of his actions.
“He seems like a nice young man who committed a crime and he understands today more than any day before the consequences of committing a crime like he did,” Roach said in the post-trial interview.
