Karmelo Anthony is seeking a new trial in Texas as tensions increase over the conviction for the murder of Austin Metcalf. The criminal case was not a difficult one for the prosecution with overwhelming witness and video evidence of the stabbing. Anthony’s motion for a new trial is extremely weak, in my view, because it focuses on his decision not to testify (despite a record showing he made that decision knowingly and freely). At the same time, the case is now becoming a political issue with Democratic senatorial nominee James Talarico declaring that the case “prove[s] this system is not working for black Texans.”
The grounds for the new trial are extremely dubious, as Anthony now suggests that he wants to testify. Such later regrets are common after a conviction, and courts, including this one, anticipate such objections by creating a clear record that the defendant made the decision knowingly and freely.
Ironically, a new trial could bring forth even more damaging evidence. New messages have surfaced showing that Anthony was threatening his former girlfriend and expressing violent ideations just hours before killing Metcalf.
Text messages allegedly include a picture of the knife he used in Metcalf’s killing. Anthony’s girlfriend, Valeria, went to the school on the morning of April 2, 2025, before he stabbed Metcalf. She reportedly told school officials that Anthony was stalking her after she broke up with him.
The evidence shows Anthony told her, “I’m low key on the verge” and “When I stab somebody I’m gonna lick their blood off the blade,” prosecutors alleged.
New information also raises questions about the victim, who was accused of spray-painting racist messages and engaging in threatening conduct. The jury never heard this information about both individuals due to a “gentleman’s agreement” between the prosecution and the defense.
Meanwhile, Talarico has publicly portrayed the conviction as a failure of the legal system. In his appearance on the New York radio show The Breakfast Club, he discussed how he nodded along as a town hall attendee who called Anthony’s conviction a “tragedy.”
He added: “I’m not an expert on this particular case, but I know that there were no black members of the jury, and to me, that’s, that’s the only evidence you need to, to really prove this system is not working for black Texans.”
The Supreme Court has long addressed the use of race to select jurors, particularly when evidence shows jurors were barred from the jury because of their race. It is not considered a constitutional violation to have a jury without a member who shares the race or other characteristics with the defendant.
The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees trial by an impartial jury, not a particular racial makeup. The Equal Protection Clause also protects after discrimination in jury selection.
Under Batson v. Kentucky, the defense can challenge the use of peremptory challenges by the prosecution on the issue of race. However, the issue is not simply the result of the challenges but the motivation behind such challenges.
In the case of James Kirkland Batson, the defendant was charged with burglary and receipt of stolen goods. The prosecutor used his peremptory challenges to remove all four African Americans from the jury pool. Justice Powell ultimately wrote the opinion for the Supreme Court and held that, while a defendant is not entitled to have jurors who meet certain racial criteria, the state is not permitted to use its peremptory challenges to automatically exclude potential members of the jury because of their race.
In the Anthony case, challenges to black prospective jurors drew criticism before the trial. However, the prosecutors objected to a number of individuals because they were educators and the crime occurred on school grounds. The ultimate jury was not “all-White” as commonly claimed. It included Asian, Indian, and Hispanic members.
It is another high hurdle for the defense to argue that the racial makeup of the jury was an unconstitutional element at the trial.
Moreover, calling the trial a “tragedy” and evidence that the system is failing black Texans ignores the overwhelming evidence against Anthony.
I do not believe that a new trial is likely based on the failure to testify. There were ample reasons for the “gentleman’s agreement” and the decision to remain silent. Anthony would have faced a withering cross-examination, and much of this evidence of his prior alleged threats and stalking would likely have been brought out for impeachment and rebuttal purposes.
Breaking: Anthony’s new trial motion has been denied.
I wish I could say good, but there are no winners in this. One family lost a loved twin brother and a son forever and the other lost a son that will now be institutionalized for half his life or more. We lost two young men that would have and could have gone on to become good and productive citizens, Americans.
“Could have” – yes. “Would have” – unclear.
True for anyone OMFK
The things we do when we’re young and dumb.
You mean like stalking his girlfriend? Good for that young woman who reported him BEFORE the murder! THEY’RE MURDERERS.
Oh stfu. Sick of people saying junk like this. THEY CAN VISIT THEIR SWEET SON. Shameless trash…
Then don’t touch people with out authorization. If people of color are in your tent uninvited call the authorities in to remove them. Don’t take the law into you own hands and there won’t be any trouble.
Too bad. He could have gotten as much as 99 years and should have.
Personally, I can’t stand it anymore.
Say it like it is. How else will they learn what murder is. This is murder, not speech.
The petition for a new trial “focuses on [Anthony’s] decision not to testify (despite a record showing he made that decision knowingly and freely).” (JT)
Suppose he’s granted a new trial on that basis. At the new trial, can he reinvoke 5A?
James Talarico Will do and say anything provocative to get his name in the news. He’s really just a scoundrel.
Indeed. Scum.
#. Apparently murder for racist speech is a defense. Make a list. Heavy rain is also a defense. The aggressor cannot plead self defense. Mr. Karmelo’s girlfriend must be relieved he’s behind bars. She’ll need to worry once he’s out.
The sprint to escape through the downpour …
Have a good and prosperous day one and all.
^^^ Presumably the girlfriend’s testimony will be admitted. Intelligent young lady reporting the stalking immediately. There’s a role model for girls!
Hopefully Karmelo can now be charged with premeditated 1st degree murder. They’re going for a hung jury.
Presumably the retired Judge was nudged by death threats to himself and family. Karmelo has been trained to inflict unsurvivable wounds. Why not.
Have a good day.
Browbeat Walton left.
Revenge murder isn’t a defense either btw.
Maybe the supporter of palestine should have stabbed browbeaten Walton. Or Walton might have stabed her. The he// not.
Wasn’t Austin Metcalf the aggressor in this situation?
Depends on what you’re calling the aggressor. Apparently the eyewitness testimony and videos of the incident show a teenage war of words ending with one dead teenager and another one with the rest of his life in prison. We just lost two more American kids that should have been going to prom and looking forward to college. Instead here you are, trying your hardest to fan a flame.
I’m responding to inaccurate statements. There is no dispute that Metcalf approached Anthony and assaulted him (unless you have redefined assault). That seems to make him the aggressor. Whether Anthony acted correctly is a different question, as is whether Anthony had reason to fear for his life. There is no question as to Metcalf being the aggressor.
Nonsense!
Saying something is “nonsense” doesn’t erase the facts. It only describes your willingness to accept them.
Carmelo was asked 15 times to vacate the area, which he ignored. An area he was not supposed to be at due to his carrying of a weapon on school grounds previously. He then taunted young Metcalfe to the point of physical altercation, with issuance of veiled threat. As Metcalfe responded with a simple push, Carmelo stabbed him in the heart, a wound from which he died.
Now you call that as Metcalfe being the aggressor? I see it as Metcalfe trying to maintain the purpose of the track teams staging area and his presence there.
Regardless, there is nothing there that supports a defense of Carmelo stabbing him in the heart, Metcalfe had no weapon nor did he issue verbal threat of harm or death to Carmelo.
Karmelo (with a K) was reportedly asked 15 times to leave by someone with less authority than a hall monitor. I can only imagine the tone the linebacker surrounded by his friends used, let’s imagine it escalated each time. You seem to be saying Anthony made Metcalk push him in the chest.
You seem to make no reference to Metcalf’s previous writings about “KKK Kill All Blacks” and multiple uses of the N word, along with a history of assault going back to elementary school. Is there a reason you left those out?
The only thing I was responding to is whether Anthony or Metcalf was the aggressor. Metcalf wasn’t doing his job by ordering Anthony and no other person back out into the storm. What do you suppose was his motivation or authority.
Oh, my bad…I thought his parents named him after the candy bar. He was not supposed to be at the track meet. I don’t know the particulars of Metcalfe’s juvenile behavior but I will guarantee you that Anthony was his opposite.
I hear you say he wasn’t supposed to be at the track meet, I read Karen S. say the same thing which I’ve been unable to document anywhere. I asked Karen if she has a source and haven’t heard back yet. I’ll ask you the same thing, do you have a source for that statement. The alleged reason he was “suspended” is for having a knife at school. According to Texas law, it is illegal to possess a knife with a blade 5.5 inches or more is schools and a variety of public places. The knife Anthony had was smaller and not illegal.
You can know Metcalf’s history which CBS reported on and I’ve documented. Anthony had a troubled record as well that didn’t include racist behavior to my knowledge.
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/new-details-background-karmelo-anthony-retrial-hearing-08-20-2026/?utm_source=copilot.com
“it is illegal to possess a knife with a blade 5.5 inches or more is schools and a variety of public places. The knife Anthony had was smaller and not illegal.”
This is nuts. Now you deflect to knife size. Anthony isn’t charged with having a 5-inch blade. He was charged with murdering Metcalf.
I was addressing the yet to be documented claim that Anthony was suspended from school. It wasn’t illegal for him to possess the knife he had in most situations. Note that Anthony was not charged with possession of a deadly weapon.
Enigma, I think it would help you to regroup. You are not making any sense. Place the phrase Anthony killed Metcalf, before anything you wish to say.
Anthonmy defended himself against an aggressor and it resulted in a death.
Anthony wasn’t defending himself. He was too busy knifing the guy and killing him.
What part of assaulted first don’t you understand?
“What part of assaulted first don’t you understand?”
Enigma, is this the way your community acts: a push leads to murder? You are an educated adult, and you don’t seem to know any better than the kids in the street. Your words [paraphrasing from multiple posts]: ‘you disrespected me so you should die’. Vengeance! That is what your responses sound like. That is why there are so many dead children in the streets. You have lost all perspective.
My “community?” You’re getting closer to the edge. When someone starts a confrontation and assaults someone, there’s no telling how it will end up. Metcalf probably thought he was completely safe, surrounded by his boys. It turns out he was wrong. You keep ignoring my question about what authority he had to be the tent monitor.
Enigma in Black
There’s a good CBS report on each of these kids. You should take a good look, it has the graffiti incident and some other bullying thing but Karmelo’s background is far worse with racial slurs on Hispanics and Whites. I believe the suspension claim actually came from him but a bit unclear. Tons of photos of him with guns, texts about robbery and burglary…
What a shame, great parents!
“ordering Anthony and no other person back out into the storm”
Again, Enigma, you are trying to spread the blame: the storm, the KKK, the jury, racism. Anthony put a knife into Metcalf’s chest and killed him. You are teaching black folk and all others that there are always excuses to be made for killing people with a deadly weapon.
I didn’t create Metcalf’s backstory of racism. He did that all on his own.
Tell me, Enigma, if someone made a racial slur toward you, do you believe you have the right to kill them? I
Nope. but if I’m surrounded by several people and one puts his hands on me. All bets are off. It wasn’t just the one shove. There was an ongoing threat and a great likelihood that Anthony was going to be struck again, possibly by a crowd.
“a *great likelihood* that Anthony was going to be struck again,”
You keep asking others for proof. Where is yours? This is nonsense.
Proof? I have read multiple accounts and they all say one shove. There was no “striking.” a crowd being present also does not equal threat. What was the crowd doing? You conveniently gloss over that like it is irrelevant. The accounts I have seen was they were watching. You are acting like they were all beating on Karmelo…
You are seeing what you want to see.
He obviously didn’t read the entire article. If you revisit, the article said there were substantial quantities of racial slurs within Karmelo’s texts as well as texts discussing robbery, guns in his backpack at school.
How could Anthony possibly have acted correctly? He passed an entire stadium of empty seating, and instead sat under the EZ Up of a team for which he was not a member. Since he ran track, he would know that he was not allowed to sit in seating assigned to another team. He was told, in English, to leave, but he refused and became threatening. When Anthony Metcalf pushed him to try to make him leave, Karmelo Anthony fatally stabbed him.
My son and his friends run track. Not even us parents are allowed to sit under a team’s EZ Up, whether it’s broiling sun, pouring rain, or windy. It’s an athlete-only area, and there’s barely enough room for the team and all their stuff.
The talk going around that Karmelo Anthony was justified murdering a teenager who told him to move from their team’s seating has made us track parents very worried and protective about our kids.
I saw one of your comments that you asked me a question. I haven’t been back on. I’ll look for my post and answer any questions you have.
” New messages have surfaced showing that Anthony was threatening his former girlfriend and expressing violent ideations just hours before killing Metcalf.
Text messages allegedly include a picture of the knife he used in Metcalf’s killing. Anthony’s girlfriend, Valeria, went to the school on the morning of April 2, 2025, before he stabbed Metcalf. She reportedly told school officials that Anthony was stalking her after she broke up with him.
The evidence shows Anthony told her, “I’m low key on the verge” and “When I stab somebody I’m gonna lick their blood off the blade,” prosecutors alleged.
New information also raises questions about the victim, who was accused of spray-painting racist messages and engaging in threatening conduct. The jury never heard this information about both individuals due to a “gentleman’s agreement” between the prosecution and the defense.”
Turley was very specific about the new information about Karmelo Anthony left out of the trial due to a gentleman’s agreement. He only mentioned that the victim “was accused” of racist messages so I thought I’d help clarify.
Metcalf and his brother were found guilty (not accused) of spray painting racist graffiti and given 12 months juvenile probation. What did they paint and what else was left out of Turley’s story?
1. Spray‑painted racist graffiti (with his brother Hunter)
Court and juvenile records described in the retrial hearing show that Austin and his twin brother were caught spray‑painting the following phrases:
“KKK kill all blacks”
“Heil Hitler”
The N‑word
They were sentenced to 12 months of juvenile probation for this vandalism.
These are the “racist messages” and “vile, racist stuff” that earlier coverage only gestured at.
Other racist conduct that was part of the background packet
These items were in the background/disciplinary file discussed at the new‑trial hearing and were not shown to the jury in June:
Documented use of racial slurs at school
Multiple incidents of Austin using racist language toward classmates.
Bullying of a Black student (2023)
Records describe Austin bullying a Black classmate; this is explicitly noted in the CBS Texas summary of the background report.
Those are the race‑specific items; his broader violent and bullying history (assaulting a girl, “Kill that mf” text, etc.) is also in the file but not inherently racial.
I think as a legal strategy, bringing out all of Austin Metcalf’s past would have improved Anthony’s odds at trial. I wonder if Anthony understood and agreed to the gentleman’s agreement or was it the white prosecutors and his own white lawyer agreeing to leave out Metcalf’s racist past? It might have provided a different light if it were known that the varsity linebacker, backed by his friends when he assaulted Anthony wanted to “KKK Kill all Blacks?”
I was wondering when you show up for your favorite subject.
That was out and out murder and there is zero excuse for it.
enigma: You’ve waxed prolix and wasted space in lieu of a much simpler model: just turn things around.
Assume that Black Anthony had a history of making social media posts calling for the killing of all “honkies” and Whites.
During a storm, White Metcalf comes under the tent with a knife in his back pocket. Anthony tells him 15X to leave. Metcalf refuses and taunts Anthony with the threat, “Touch me and see what happens.” Black Anthony then shoves White Metcalf, who then stabs Anthony to death.
Would you like to tell all of us here and now that White Metcalf does not deserve to be charged and convicted of murder?
I love your demand I answer your hypothetical question in the manner you desire. If Anthony had been found guilty of painting graffiti saying “Kill all Whites” and had the record of racist slurs and violence that Metcalf had, it would definitely be a factor in considering whether his response was reasonable, just as Metcalf’s racist and violent views should be considered as to his intent when assaulting Anthony.
I hope you take the time to read last night’s comments from Karen S. and oldmanfromkansas. They took the time. I didn’t.
What evidence do you have that KA knew anything about AM’s past conduct?
And even if he did, how does that establish a reasonable fear for his life when lightly pushed by someone who had no weapon?
And of course if the evidence about AM had nit been excluded, the far more pertinent evidence of KA’s mental state on the morning of the killing would also not have been excluded. The latter would most likely have been far more compelling. I suspect that is the judgment KA’s lawyers reached, most likely in consultation with KA.
The issue about the “gentleman’s agreement” was whether it covered testimony by KA if he took the stand. The defense lawyers thought it should but the prosecutors appear to have said it didn’t.
KA claimed that this effectively coerced him into not testifying. The judge found this to be an insufficient basis to grant a new trial, but he has not yet published his reasons.
Anthony entertained abortive ideation and took affirmative action to relieve a “burden”. Planned personhood in the pursuit of social justice is no ethical vice. Maybe, baby.
FREE DEREK CHAUVIN and the rest of those falsely convicted!
Another good reason the ignore polls
____________________________
A 21-year-old recent college graduate has revealed himself as the person behind a bogus polling operation whose numbers made their way into mainstream news coverage.
Rahil Prakash told The Guardian in a report published Thursday that he single-handedly created Median Strategies, an anonymous polling website that published fabricated surveys of races in California, Wisconsin and Nevada.
“I wanted to see if fake polls could really penetrate the ecosystem that easily,” Prakash told the outlet. “And as it turned out, it could.”
I can give the kid credit. He’s much smarter than the MSN.
Hey you SF the post is about Anthony. You SF.
Kirk…
I proved by this kid. Polls are a joke.
Dustoff, excuse me, thru your history on this blog, you are someone with limited intellectual skills, you proved nothing, the research for the article was done by someone else and posted elsewhere, its irrelevant to the thread and yet you take credit for exposing it?
Dustoff, you are an astonishingly stupid person. You don’t know what you’re writing.
8 Ball, Dustoff and Kirk are all Estovir in a contrived conversation.
^ Anonymous is Estovir
Our judiciary is a disaster. Why have Canons when they mean nothing? It is a sad, bitter and blatant joke on us. We can never be confident in our fight for justice if we stand before a corrupt an unaccountable business enterprise. Did members of Hitler’s courts mete out justice for Jews? Our courts are led by lawyers and judges donning black nightgowns. Judges MUST fulfill their sacred duties while simultaneously refraining from engaging in misconduct that even appears to be inappropriate. The rest doesn’t matter. There is no reason at all to expect justice when no one holds dress clad lawyers accountable.
Those same lawyers choose whom to nominate for such positions. It’s sick and no one cares.
Did James “Scumbagwormmeatr” Tallarico ever say anything about Monkey “Get Trump” Trials where only corrupt Commie-Democrats were running the judges and juries to rig the phony cases against him?
I don’t think so. You can easily see why Commie-Democrat Tallarico go his well-deserved middle name, “Scumbagwormmeat.”
The charitable reading may be that the Texas courts are known for excluding Black jurors regularly and that this is another example of that. It gives the appearance that Texas believes that Black jurors cannot be impartial even when there is overwhelming evidence of guilt.
I suppose a 200 year history of all-White juries in Texas convicting Black defendants on flimsy evidence leaves a mark.