Karmelo Anthony Hearing: Visiting judge hears arguments on judge recusal

Hearings are underway in Collin County as attorneys for Karmelo Anthony seek a new judge and a new trial.

Anthony was convicted of murder in June for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf on April 2, 2025.

Witnesses reported that Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the chest with a pocketknife during a seating dispute at a regional track meet.

Anthony was a student at Centennial High School but was sitting under the Memorial High School tent. Metcalf reportedly told him to leave.

There was no evidence the two young men knew each other.

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison and is now confined by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the Pack Unit near Navasota.

His new team of defense attorneys is fighting for a retrial and has argued that Judge John Roach, who presided over the initial trial, should be recused from the case going forward. 

On Wednesday, visiting Judge Sid Harle, who served as the judge in the first Uvalde school shooting trial, will weigh the arguments and evidence regarding the recusal effort.

If Roach is recused on Wednesday, another judge will sit over Thursday’s hearing for a new trial. If Roach is not recused, Anthony's new lawyers must present their arguments seeking a new trial before the same judge who publicly stated he believes the initial trial was fair.

The hearings could feature new facts and testimony that have not been previously made public.