A judge will on Thursday consider whether to grant Karmelo Anthony, now 19, a new trial following his conviction earlier this summer in the stabbing death of 17-year-old athlete Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after jurors rejected his claims of self-defense.
The judge who presided over Anthony's trial, Michael Chitty, was removed from the case Wednesday and replaced by Judge Michael Chitty. Chitty has been assigned to consider the motion for a retrial filed by Anthony's attorneys.
Anthony's legal team sought the removal of the previous judge, State District Judge John Roach, partly due to comments Roach made in a television interview after the trial concluded. In the interview, Roach stated that the jury "got it right" when delivering a guilty verdict, adding, "Whatever they say, they got it right." Roach also defended his courtroom rules and commented on the significant social media attention the case received.
In their motion for a new trial, Anthony's attorneys contend that the June proceedings were compromised by restrictive courtroom rules and inappropriate jury instructions. They also stated that Anthony's decision not to testify stemmed from a dispute with prosecutors regarding an agreement to focus the trial on the events preceding the stabbing.
Witnesses at the trial testified that the confrontation occurred in stadium bleachers last year. Students described a heated exchange initiated by Anthony's refusal to leave a tent belonging to Metcalf's team on a rainy spring day. Prosecutors argued that Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.
According to a police report, Anthony reached into a bag and warned, "Touch me and see what happens." Witnesses stated that Metcalf then pushed Anthony, who subsequently produced a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.
The case gained national attention, amplified by social media posts that framed the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white. However, lawyers for both sides maintained to the jury that race was not a factor in the tragedy.
As national attention grew, both Anthony's and Metcalf's families reported being targets of harassment. The track event involved several competing schools at the time of the incident.