RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesKarmelo Anthony’s supporters cheered in the courthouse hallways and outside the building as his request was granted
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The judge who presided over Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial has been removed from the case as the teen appeals his conviction.
Anthony, now 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing fellow student athlete Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet outside Dallas last year. A jury convicted him of murder in June after rejecting his claims of self-defense.
Anthony has appealed his conviction and is seeking a new trial. His family, along with Metcalf’s parents, were in court on Wednesday as Anthony’s legal team argued that a retrial was warranted in part because state District Judge John Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview after the trial ended.
Anthony’s supporters were heard cheering in the courthouse hallways and outside the building after the order to remove Roach was issued.A new judge will be assigned for Thursday’s hearing on the retrial request.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before issuing their verdict in June. They could have convicted him of a lesser charge, manslaughter, but didn’t choose to.
The trial unfolded under heavy security at the Collin County courthouse, where lines of spectators gathered, hoping to find seats in the gallery.
The case attracted widespread attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told the jury that the tragedy had nothing to do with race.
Students took the stand to describe the heated exchange after Anthony refused to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team on a rainy spring day. The teens went to different high schools.
Several schools were competing when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Austin Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.
Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses testified that Anthony was the aggressor.
At one point, Anthony reached inside a bag and said: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.
Metcalf pushed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest, witnesses said.
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