Collin County Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye revealed details Thursday at an appeal hearing regarding evidence that was not presented to the jury in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony. The undisclosed evidence included threatening and violent text messages from Anthony and accounts of his alleged stalking behavior.
According to Wirskye, Anthony's ex-girlfriend reported that he was stalking her hours before he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf. She also told an assistant principal that Anthony was obsessed with fights, guns, and knives, and had sent her a text message depicting a knife with the phrase, "I'm low key on the verge," Wirskye stated. He described Anthony as "spiraling" in the period leading up to the stabbing, which occurred under a tent at a local high school track meet.
This information, along with Metcalf's juvenile criminal history which included racist graffiti, was excluded from the trial based on a "gentleman's agreement" between the prosecution and the defense. Wirskye stated that he offered the agreement to avoid bringing up the victim's past and to prevent the trial from becoming a "racial tinderbox." The defense, in exchange, agreed not to introduce Metcalf's juvenile record.
Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He is currently appealing his conviction. The jury's decision was based on the events that transpired under the tent, as per the agreement to focus solely on the facts of the incident itself.