If you thought the drama surrounding Karmelo Anthony had faded from the headlines, there’s new buzz brewing for you.
To jog your memory, Anthony was convicted this past June for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, which took place during a high school track meet in April 2025. He was handed a hefty 35-year prison sentence.
And you might think that’s where the tale ends. Think again.
In a surprising turn of events, Anthony’s legal team is pushing to have his conviction overturned, hoping to secure him a fresh trial. This week, a series of hearings brought to light some startling details that the original jury never got to hear.
Anthony’s newly appointed lawyers are contesting that the previous trial was riddled with issues, denying him a fair shot at justice. Among the revelations was a covert agreement between the prosecution and Anthony’s former defense team to suppress certain incriminating details about both him and Metcalf from the jury’s knowledge.
The deal was “keep things clean,” prosecutor Bill Wirskye said from the stand as Anthony’s new attorney Russell Wilson grilled him about the alleged “shadow docket” Wilson claims corrupted the June proceedings.
Wirskye also said of the agreement, “Let’s stay away from historical character and stick to the facts — what happened under the tent.”
That “historical character” information was not withheld during this week’s hearings, however, and the information about Karmelo’s past behavior that was made public is shocking. He had once threatened to shoot up his high school.
Karmelo Anthony talked about shooting up his school in a trove of disturbing texts that a backroom deal kept out of the courtroom during his June murder trial, prosecutors said on Friday.
“”imma shoot the school up tmr,” Anthony wrote in a 2023 text that prosecutors revealed in Collin County, Texas, during a hearing to determine if Austin Metcalf’s convicted killer will be granted a new trial, according to WFAA.
Karmelo Anthony threatened to ‘shoot the school up’ in shocking text kept from jury in Austin Metcalf murder trial pic.twitter.com/BI6hW87WN0
— New York Post (@nypost) August 22, 2026
That’s not all. Other information kept from the jury included “texts from Anthony threatening violence and a photo of a knife sent to his ex-girlfriend — who told a vice principal that he was stalking her hours before the fatal stabbing.”
Here’s another report on Anthony’s volatile behavior:
He had a documented history of fighting, enough that his parents sent him to a special program at LSU for kids who “cannot keep their hands to themselves.” He was also obsessed with knives and guns and had fantasized about stabbing someone. Investigators found a text where he wrote: “when I stab somebody I am going to lick the blood off the blade.”
Prosecutors say Anthony’s phone contained messages in which he talked about enjoying punching people, said he would “see red” and “blackout” when angry, discussed carrying guns, and repeatedly threatened a girlfriend. In one particularly chilling message cited in court filings, Anthony allegedly wrote about what he would do after stabbing someone.
And the jury heard none of this.
The hearing wrapped up Friday, and the new judge said he expects to announce Saturday whether Anthony will receive a new trial.
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