Karmelo Anthony's parents and defense team push forward with appeal

DALLAS - Karmelo Anthony is continuing his legal fight for a new trial. 

On Wednesday, his attorney and his parents held a news conference to talk about their next steps. They said their fight is far from over.

Karmelo Anthony Appeal

What's next:

Defense attorney Russell Wilson said he is hoping to get the court record needed in order to appeal Anthony’s conviction by October.

His case is currently pending in the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas and the process is expected to stretch deep into next year.

A legal fund has been established for the appeal process.

What they're saying:

"It’s been a struggle, you guys. We first want to thank everybody, all the angels around here from the internet family to our personal family to all the supporters who have helped us through this difficult time," said Andrew Anthony, Karmelo Anthony’s father.

"Under our constitution, you are not just afforded a trial. You are afforded a fair trial. And we’ve said from the very outset that Karmelo Anthony did not receive a fair trial," said defense attorney Sean Daredia. "During the motion for a new trial, so much evidence came out and that evidence showed not only this family but the entire world that he did not receive a fair trial."

Daredia said the team looks forward to having the justices look at the appeal, and they are very confident the case will come back.

Karmelo Anthony New Trial Denied

Last month, a Collin County judge denied the now 19-year-old’s motion for a new trial.

Anthony was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison for murder.

His post-trial defense team argued that an off-the-record agreement between his original defense team and prosecutors impacted his ability to testify.

His attorney also claimed he was denied a fair trial because there was limited public access to the proceedings.

The judge heard new evidence about the countless threats that affected the trial and those involved with the case, as well as the racist and aggressive past of both teenagers that prompted the so-called "gentleman’s agreement," before making his decision.

Frisco Track Meeting Stabbing

Anthony was convicted of murder for the April 2, 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a regional high school track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco.

Investigators said Anthony, then a Centennial High School student, was sitting under the Memorial High School team tent when Metcalf, a Memorial student, told him to leave. Authorities said they found no evidence the two teens knew each other before the confrontation.

Stadium surveillance video released after the trial shows Metcalf and his friends walking toward the tent. Later footage shows Anthony running from the tent and out of the stadium after the stabbing.

Witnesses identified Anthony to a school resource officer shortly afterward, according to his arrest report. Police body camera video shows Anthony telling an officer that Metcalf "put his hands on me" and that he had acted to protect himself.

In another recording, Anthony told an officer, "I did it," after police referred to him as the alleged suspect.

A 911 caller said a friend had been stabbed under the tent and asked for an ambulance. Images of the knife used in the stabbing and additional surveillance video were also released following the trial.

Anthony has maintained that he acted in self-defense.

Frisco Track Meet StabbingFriscoCrime and Public Safety