Overview
- A Collin County jury convicted 19‑year‑old Karmelo Anthony of first‑degree murder for the April 2025 stabbing of 17‑year‑old Austin Metcalf and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.
- Anthony filed a notice of appeal within 24 hours of the verdict and is now being represented pro bono by an appellate group led by Russell Wilson II that includes Gary Bledsoe and Michael L. Ware.
- The new lawyers say they will conduct a fresh review of the trial record and pursue all available avenues of appeal, with likely focus on jury selection, evidentiary rulings and other procedural issues.
- Publicly released body‑camera and surveillance exhibits show Anthony saying the other teen 'put his hands on me,' while prosecutors presented evidence the jury found persuasive, and Judge John Roach has defended his courtroom decisions and the release of those exhibits.
- The case has drawn organized grassroots support, the Texas NAACP’s criticism over the absence of Black jurors, and sharp reactions from the victim’s family, and any appeal process could take months to resolve and will be limited to legal, not factual, review.