A member of the sheriff department stands outside before a hearing on Karmelo Anthony’s motion for a new trial at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Anthony was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Karmelo Anthony secured a new judge for his case. Now, he’s vying for a new trial.
Retired Judge Michael Chitty is reviewing Anthony’s motion for a new trial in a hearing Thursday at the Collin County courthouse in McKinney. The proceedings, which are open to the public, began at 9 a.m.
Anthony was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white.
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Related: Judge John Roach Jr. recused from next steps of Karmelo Anthony’s case
Two motions — one for a recusal and another for a new trial — were filed, alongside a notice of appeal, shortly after sentencing.
The motion to retry the case spanned 63 pages and several allegations, including that prosecutors backed out of a “gentleman’s agreement” at the 11th hour, derailing the defense team’s strategy. Anthony’s lead trial attorney said in an affidavit that the agreement barred both sides from mentioning details about Anthony and Metcalf’s character and past in front of the jury.
About 30 people wearing mainly purple and black gathered in spots of shade outside the courthouse by 11:30 a.m. Thursday as the temperature neared 100 degrees in the parking lot. A woman played “Victory” by Brenda Waters on a speaker and danced near the courthouse steps.
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New details about Anthony’s past emerge
Collin County prosecutor Bill Wirskye confirmed, as Howard’s affidavit said, that the gentleman’s agreement was his idea: “I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse,” Wirskye said, “because we had that much leverage.”
Wirskye shared details that before Thursday had never been made public, including allegations that earlier the morning of the track meet, Anthony’s ex-girlfriend confided in a teacher at Frisco Centennial High School that Anthony “wouldn’t take no for an answer” and was stalking her.
Shortly after, Wirskye said that teacher got a call: A student had been stabbed to death at David Kuykendall Stadium.
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Howard also referenced Anthony’s phone records in his affidavit as something the defense agreed to keep out of the courtroom and away from the jury.
But Wirskye told the court Thursday that Anthony sent two texts hours before the stabbing that read, “I’m lowkey on the verge.”
Wirskye said Anthony had a documented obsession with violence, fights, guns and knives. He alleged Anthony once said he fantasized about stabbing someone and licking the blood off the blade.
In opening arguments, lead appellate attorney Russell Wilson walked Chitty through the defense’s motion for a new trial, an appeal he said spans more than 40 exhibits and four volumes of material.
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He accused Roach of running a “shadow docket,” and stated evidence will show “exhaustive” off-the-record proceedings in the case. According to Wilson, Anthony did not have a live hearing between the day he bonded out of jail in April 2025 and the start of jury selection in June 2026.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen a murder case that had as much off-the-record stuff,” Wilson said.
Wirskye was outwardly frustrated as he stood to respond, telling the judge it was “too cute by half” that Anthony’s lawyers would imply the restrictions they agreed to from the beginning are now to be considered violations of Anthony’s constitutional rights.
“All the things that were done saved his life,” Wirskye said, detailing the racist vitriol that erupted on social media and fueled threats against everyone involved in the case — including family members, friends, lawyers and others caught in the crossfire.
Of Wilson’s allegations of secrecy, Wirskye said such off-the-record proceedings are not unusual, adding there were court appearances that were shielded from the public so as not to expose Anthony’s whereabouts and put him in danger.
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“That’s just the way we do business in Texas,” Wirskye said.
Michael Chitty, a retired senior judge out of Kaufman County, is presiding over Thursday’s hearing. He’s a lifelong Texan from Terrell who worked as an attorney for three decades before serving on the bench.
Related: Who is Michael Chitty, the new judge in Karmelo Anthony’s case?
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Gov. Rick Perry selected Chitty to be the first judge in the newly established 422nd District Court in 2004, a post he retained for nearly two decades. A Republican, Chitty won reelection four consecutive times before retiring at the end of 2020.
By 8:30 a.m. Thursday, the parking lot of the courthouse was filling with cars, reporters and TV cameras. The Collin County sheriff’s office parked several trucks and SUVs in the loop in front of the courthouse, where Anthony supporters celebrated after District Judge John Roach Jr. was recused from the case Wednesday. A handful of police stood on the steps and monitored as people walked inside.
A member of the sheriff department stands outside before a hearing on Karmelo Anthony’s motion for a new trial at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Anthony was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A group played worship music from a median with a sign that read “Free hugs and prayers” as people lined up to get inside the courthouse. One group flipped their purple “Free Karmelo” shirts inside out before walking inside, since written displays of support for either side were not permitted in court.
Related: Who is Michael Chitty, the new judge in Karmelo Anthony’s case?
Inside the first-floor courtroom, dozens of spectators — most wearing purple, Anthony’s favorite color, in solidarity with him — stood and raised their fists in support as the teen’s appellate team entered the room.
Before opening arguments, Chitty asked Russell Schaffner, a Collin County administrator serving as the public information officer for the hearings, to take the stand.
Chitty asked Schaffner to explain why a live feed of the hearings is only accessible in an overflow room in the courthouse and has not been made available to the general public.
“It would not be feasible due to the timeframe,” he told the court. “It takes a few weeks to set up.”
Lead appellate attorney Russell Wilson then asked Schaffner whether the option to stream the proceedings existed during the murder trial.
“It was a possibility, had a request been made,” Schaffner said.
People wait to enter the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
On Wednesday, San Antonio-based Administrative Judge Sid Harle ruled to recuse Roach from Anthony’s case. Roach presided over the trial in June.
Related: Judge John Roach Jr. was recused from Karmelo Anthony’s case. What’s next for the Frisco teen?
While Harle said he personally believed Roach could act impartially, the judge’s post-trial statements and restrictions on public access to the trial were enough to convince Harle that Roach must step down.
Now comes the much more difficult feat for Anthony’s defense team — the request for a new trial. If Anthony’s lawyers are successful, the previous murder conviction handed down from a Collin County jury would be overturned, bringing the case back to square one.
Lutrina Wright, one of the spectators waiting outside the courthouse in sweltering heat to support Anthony, said she hoped Anthony would get a trial with more witnesses and “more fairness,” she said.
Wright, who is Black, explained that she felt that racism affected how Anthony has been treated throughout the judicial process in Collin County.
She added that she empathizes with both the Anthony and Metcalf families.
“Everybody knows someone’s baby was killed,” Wright, 55, said. “We’re all sharing the sadness on both sides.”
Legal experts who previously spoke with The Dallas Morning News said it’s highly unlikely Anthony will receive a new trial.
“They are very rarely granted,” said David Finn, a Dallas defense attorney and former criminal trial judge who is not involved in Anthony’s case.
For Anthony to succeed, Finn said he would have to prove sufficient legal error at his first trial, such as juror misconduct or serious malpractice.
Staff writers Lilly Kersh and Nicole Asbury contributed to this report.