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.
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.
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.
” 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.
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.