Stabbing Fantasies Exposed — Appeal Sinks

A Texas judge just slammed the door on convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s bid for a new trial, keeping his murder conviction locked in place despite a defense built around a secret, unwritten deal over evidence jurors never saw.

Story Snapshot

Retired Judge Michael Chitty denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial after a two-day hearing in McKinney, Texas.
Anthony’s conviction and sentence stand for stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf to death at a Frisco track meet.
Prosecutors revealed disturbing texts jurors never saw, including a stabbing fantasy and a message calling Anthony “on the verge” the morning of the killing.
The original trial judge was removed from the case after saying publicly that “the jury got it right.”
Anthony’s appeal now heads to Texas’s Fifth District Court of Appeals.

Judge Rejects the Defense’s Bid for a Do-Over

Judge Michael Chitty issued his ruling in a half-page order with no elaboration, according to NBC News. He reached that decision only after reviewing the trial record, legal briefs, and two full days of live testimony in McKinney. That process gave the defense every chance to make its case. It still fell short.

The underlying facts remain grim and unchanged. Karmelo Anthony stabbed Austin Metcalf, an unarmed 17-year-old athlete, during a confrontation at a Frisco track meet. A jury convicted him of murder, and he was sentenced to prison. The Washington Times reported the new-trial fight centered on a dispute over testimony, not new proof of innocence.

That distinction matters. Anthony’s team never produced fresh evidence clearing him. Instead, they argued a courtroom process problem should wipe out a jury’s verdict. Judge Chitty looked at that argument and rejected it anyway.

A Secret Deal and Damning Text Messages

The defense’s main argument rested on an unwritten, oral agreement between prosecutors and Anthony’s former lawyer, Mike Howard. Howard testified he believed the deal let Anthony testify if he stuck to the confrontation at the track meet. Prosecutors later said that understanding did not apply once the defense opened the door to character evidence.

An oral handshake deal with no paper trail is a shaky foundation for overturning a murder conviction. Two sides remember it differently, and there is no signed document to settle the dispute. That weakness likely helped sink the defense’s case in front of Judge Chitty.

Prosecutors also revealed a trove of evidence the jury never saw. Anthony’s phone allegedly contained a message about fantasizing over stabbing someone and licking blood off a blade, plus a text sent the morning of the killing describing himself as “on the verge.” That material stayed out of trial under the disputed agreement.

Original Trial Judge Removed Over Impartiality Concerns

Before the new-trial hearing even started, senior Judge Sid Harrell removed original trial judge John Roach from the case. Roach had publicly said the jury “got it right” and that “the jury always gets it right.” Harrell ruled those comments could reasonably raise questions about Roach’s impartiality.

Removing Roach was the right call. Judges should never comment on a verdict while a case is still active, and Harrell’s decision protected the integrity of the process. But that procedural fix did not change the outcome. A different judge still reviewed the record and still denied Anthony a new trial.

🚨 JUST IN: TEXAS JUDGE DENIES KARMELO ANTHONY’S BID FOR A NEW TRIAL

A Texas judge has denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial after he was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco high school track meet in April 2025.

⚖️ Anthony was sentenced to… pic.twitter.com/Z5VQEM4lwm

— Allen H. Blackwell (@MrAlenBlackwell) August 23, 2026

The public record shows a defense strategy built almost entirely on process disputes rather than actual innocence. Court filings reviewed by ABC and CBS confirm Anthony filed a notice of appeal in Collin County shortly after his conviction and asked for a court-appointed lawyer because he said he could not afford one.

What Comes Next for Anthony’s Case

Anthony’s appeal now moves to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Texas. That court will review the trial record, the disputed oral agreement, and the judge-removal issue to decide whether any legal error actually changed the outcome of the trial. So far, nothing in the public record suggests it did.

Austin Metcalf’s family has waited through a trial, a conviction, and now a failed retrial bid. For families of crime victims across this country, this ruling sends a clear message: courts will not let procedural sideshows erase a jury’s verdict without real proof something went wrong. Justice, for now, holds.