Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Gets Big Break In Fight For New Trial

The judge who oversaw the murder conviction of Karmelo Anthony was tossed from the case on Wednesday as Anthony moves forward with an appeal for a new trial.

Anthony, now 19 years old, was convicted in June of murdering high school junior Austin Metcalf during a track event in Texas, in April of last year. Evidence from the trial showed that Anthony refused to leave another team’s tented area, and when approached by an unarmed Metcalf, Anthony fatally stabbed him.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Anthony’s legal team argued that a retrial was warranted because District Judge John Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview days after the trial was over. A visiting judge ordered Roach removed from the case. A retrial effort is still pending.

Cheers from Anthony supporters reportedly erupted in the courthouse hallways when visiting Judge Sid Harle ordered Roach to be removed. Some people chanted, “Free Karmelo!”

Two days after a jury rendered a guilty verdict against Anthony, Roach gave a television interview in which he said he believed the jury got the decision right. Roach said the jury listened to the facts, deliberated, and ultimately fulfilled its duty in finding Anthony guilty.

Generally, a judge can give a post-trial interview and comment on the outcome after a verdict has been rendered. The Anthony defense team, however, argued that Roach’s comments were improper because post-trial proceedings were still pending and Anthony had already filed a notice of appeal.

“The TV interview with the judge is the only evidence Anthony’s lawyers are going to submit,” reporter MaryAnn Martinez, who was in the courtroom Wednesday, said. Anthony’s lawyer Russell Wilson also made the case “that Judge Roach should not have given an interview 2 days after the verdict since he knew there was a pending appeal that had already been filed by Karmelo Anthony,” she said.

Judge Roach; Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images

The parents of Anthony and victim Austin Metcalf were reportedly in the courtroom for the hearing. According to Martinez, Anthony looked very different than he did during the trial. “He is wearing a dark green inmate jumpsuit and has a mustache. He is also shackled, with his feet bound together. The hearing is not being streamed,” she reported.

Karmelo Anthony has just walked into the courtroom looking very differently than during his trial. He is wearing a dark green inmate jumpsuit and has a mustache. He is also shackled, with his feet bound together. The hearing is not being streamed. Select reporters are allowed in,…

— MaryAnn Martinez (@MaryAnnreports) August 19, 2026