Texas Senator Karmelo Anthony Set to Face New Trial Over Metcalf Stabbing Case
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Talarico — who is seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988 — was asked about the high-profile case during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” radio show earlier this month and seemingly argued that Anthony’s conviction was proof the justice system “is not working for black Texans.”
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BreitbartTexas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico claimed the criminal justice system “is not working for black Texans” in a video of his remarks on Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial that resurfaced Wednesday.
The FederalistAnd, as The Federalist first reported, Talarico’s living arrangements stank of voter fraud — after he accused his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, of the same election law violations.
The Daily WireAs his November election against Republican Ken Paxton approaches, Talarico faces an uphill battle with Texas’ largest faith group: evangelical Christians. A recent Fox News poll found that 78% of white evangelicals plan to vote against him.
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Anthony was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf. A Texas judge is set to hear arguments Thursday on whether Karmelo Anthony should get a new trial, two months after a jury convicted and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing a fellow student at a high school track meet.
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BreitbartPreviously unreleased details are emerging about the evidence and testimony heard during the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, who was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in 2025.
New York PostIn June, Anthony, 18, was found guilty of murdering Austin Metcalf, 17, after a spat over seating under a tent at a track and field meet in Frisco, Texas in April 2025.
The Daily WireKarmelo Anthony was reportedly “stalking” an ex-girlfriend and “obsessed” with weapons and fighting — and had sent threatening texts just hours before he stabbed Austin Metcalf to death.
PBS NewsHourKarmelo Anthony's lawyer asks for new trial over track meet killing as new details emerge The Texas prosecutor who oversaw Karmelo Anthony's conviction in a deadly stabbing at a high school track meet said Thursday that both sides had agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.
Washington TimesMcKINNEY, Texas — The Texas prosecutor who oversaw Karmelo Anthony ’s conviction in a deadly stabbing at a high school track meet said Thursday that both sides had agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.
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Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Anthony once sent a text fantasizing about stabbing someone, and Metcalf had a history of fighting and using racist language, prosecutor Bill Wirskye said. Both were details that did not come up during the trial.
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New York PostThe dispute began when Metcalf, who is white, told Anthony, who is black, to leave the team tent. Anthony responded by plunging a knife into Metcalf’s chest, killing him, prosecutors said.
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In a statement to ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA ahead of this week's hearings, Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye said Anthony's new attorneys "filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings."
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The Daily WireCollin County Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye presented several pieces of evidence on Thursday that the jury in Anthony’s case never saw — including a statement from an ex-girlfriend who told a school assistant principal on April 2, 2025, that Anthony had been “stalking” her — The New York Post reported.
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The court determined on Wednesday that Judge John Roach would be removed from the appeal, and retired District Court Judge Michael Chitty will be tasked with reviewing Anthony’s retrial motion.
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Washington TimesNew judge deciding whether Anthony will get a new trial Anthony already won a legal victory on Wednesday when the judge who presided over his trial was removed from the case. Judge Michael Chitty was then assigned to consider the motion for a retrial.
ABC NewsA new judge will preside over Thursday's hearing, after Judge Sid Harle granted the defense's motion to recuse Roach from any further matters in the Anthony case.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post “I’m not an expert on this particular case,” he added, “but I know that there were no black members of the jury, and to me that’s the only evidence you need to really prove that this system is not working for black Texans.”
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02 Breitbart “I’m not an expert on this particular case, but I know that there were no black members of the jury, and to me, that’s, that’s the only evidence you need to, to really prove this system is not working for black Texans,” Talarico said.
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03 ABC News The hearing comes a day after the Collin County judge who presided over the murder trial was removed from further proceedings in the case.
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04 Washington Times Anthony, 19, sat at the defense table as one of his attorneys argued that the agreement was among several missteps allowed by the court that marred the June trial.
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05 The Federalist “My experience as a teacher, as a legislator, and as a Christian tells me that birds don’t belong in cages. Children don’t belong in cages. People don’t belong in cages,” Talarico said in his Ferguson Prison graduation speech.
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06 The Daily Wire “He was spiraling,” Wirskye told the court on Thursday. The texts — as well as the ex-girlfriend’s “stalking” claim — were not introduced as evidence during the trial as part of a deal between the prosecution and the defense to leave prior behavior out and focus solely on what had happened on the day of the stabbing.
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