Karmelo Anthony is pushing for a retrial.
Russell Wilson II, the new head of Anthony’s legal defense team, has initiated proceedings for a retrial. In addition, they are seeking the dismissal of Judge John Roach following Anthony’s murder conviction last month, as reported by Fox4.
At 19 years old, Anthony received a 35-year prison sentence after being found guilty of fatally shooting 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a dispute at a 2025 track meet.
In a detailed 63-page document, Anthony’s legal team claims that his right to a fair trial was compromised. They argued that the trial judge’s decision to prohibit cameras from the courtroom restricted public attendance to just 27 seats, infringing on his rights.
The document also criticized the gag order implemented before the trial, which led to pre-trial proceedings occurring behind closed doors, hidden from the public eye, according to CourtTV.
Anthony’s attorneys also referenced the prosecution’s alleged proposal—which was never formally written out—to “try the case clean” by keeping the case just to the events that happened that day, without offering character witnesses by either the prosecution or the defense, according to the court records.
As a result, the defense argued in the motion, per CourtTV, that they were unable to call an expert witness to explain how Anthony’s epilepsy could have influenced his actions, nor a forensic psychologist.
Anthony’s defense team also alleged that Anthony planned to testify himself about what happened that day. Yet, they argued in the motion that on the last day of the murder trial, the prosecution said the agreement they’d reached wouldn’t cover Anthony’s testimony, forcing him to decide between taking the stand and risk opening the door to other potentially damaging evidence or remain silent, FOX4 reported.
They also raised concerns that the instructions given to the jury made it difficult for them to consider his claim that the stabbing had been in self-defense.
Oxygen reached out to Collin County prosecutors and Wilson, but did not receive an immediate response.
Karmelo Anthony’s Attorneys Ask For Removal of Trial Judge
The teen’s attorneys also filed a separate motion asking for Roach’s removal in any future appellate proceedings.
They argued in that motion, also obtained by FOX4, that Roach “expressed personal opinions about the propriety and correctness of the jury’s verdict, the fairness of the trial and the correctness of the judge’s own rulings during the trial” while speaking with the media.
When asked by a reporter if the jury got it right, he replied in an interview streamed by WFAA, “Yeah, they did.”
“Because they were picked based upon the law,” he said at the time. “They listened to the facts, that happened here in this very courtroom and they got a verdict.”
Anthony’s attorneys argued in the motion, per FOX4, that he went on to add that he was “proud” of his decision to dismiss three Black potential jurors because he was following the law “to a T.”
Though he knew the decision could be viewed poorly, he added that his job was not to “satisfy perceptions,” but rather follow the law, according to the news outlet.
Oxygen reached out to Roach’s office for a response to the claims made in the court documents, but did not receive a reply.
Roach previously defended his decision not to allow cameras in the trial in a statement to Fox News.
“The overwhelming focus on my ruling regarding the media in courtroom was to protect the process, witnesses, and jury,” he said. “Now that the trial is over, it is important to me to provide transparency.”