Carmelo Anthony update: Judge Michael Chitty denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial on Saturday, leaving the guilty verdict and 35-year sentence in place. Anthony sat in the courtroom beside his defense attorneys as they argued that the murder trial should be thrown out.
Judge Michael Chitty rules
The ruling came after testimony stretched into Friday evening in the trial hearing, which focused on whether the original proceedings were so unusual that they denied Anthony a fair process. A Collin County jury had already rejected his self-defense claim and found that he intentionally stabbed Austin Metcalf during the Frisco ISD track meet in April 2025.
That sequence matters because the denial keeps the original judgment intact rather than sending the case back for another round of proceedings. For Anthony, the immediate legal result is simple: the conviction stands, and the 35-year sentence remains unchanged.
Defense and prosecution clash
Toby Shook told the court that “the prosecutors put them in a corner,” while Russell Wilson argued that “a heated argument between prosecutors and Anthony's lawyers caused Anthony to lose trust in the state.” The defense said private off-the-record agreements made it impossible for Anthony to have a fair trial and argued that the lack of public access violated federal law.
Bill Wirskye pushed back, saying “there was never an agreement preventing Anthony from taking the stand.” He also said “the unusual rules were necessary because of threats, intense public pressure, and misinformation about the case,” giving the judge a basis to treat the restrictions as a response to security concerns rather than a defect in the trial itself.
Anthony stays convicted
The practical effect is that Anthony remains convicted of murdering Austin Metcalf, with the jury’s earlier finding still carrying the full weight of the case. If there is another court challenge, it will have to start from the loss Anthony just took, not from a reset table.
Will Karmelo Anthony appeal the denial of his new-trial request? That is the next question the case leaves hanging, and for now the ruling keeps the verdict and sentence exactly where Judge Michael Chitty left them.
