A Texas judge has granted a motion to recuse Collin County District Judge John Roach Jr. from presiding over the appeal proceedings for Karmelo Anthony, the 19-year-old who was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
This development comes as Anthony’s new legal team continues its aggressive push for a new trial, citing alleged “irregularities” while the underlying facts of the killing remain undisputed.
The judge has ruled that Judge John Roach will not continued to preside over the Karmelo Anthony appeal of his murder conviction.
Recusal granted
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) August 19, 2026
Anthony, who is black, was convicted in June after a nearly weeklong trial for the April 2, 2025, stabbing of Metcalf, who was white, during a rainy track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco.
Witnesses testified that Anthony was in the tent belonging to Metcalf’s Memorial High School team, refused repeated requests to leave, reached into his bag, and warned “Touch me and see what happens” before pulling out a pocketknife and stabbing Metcalf in the chest.
Metcalf died while being held by his twin brother.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before rejecting Anthony’s “self-defense” claims and handing down the 35-year sentence.
Following the conviction, Anthony’s trial team was replaced by a pro bono appellate group led by attorney Russell Wilson.
In early July, the new legal team filed a motion for a new trial alleging constitutional and procedural errors, including claims that prosecutors backed out of an evidentiary agreement which prevented Anthony from fully presenting self-defense testimony, along with challenges to jury instructions and courtroom access restrictions.
At the same time, the legal team also filed a motion to recuse Judge Roach from all remaining post-trial matters.
The defense argued that Roach should be removed from the case because of his public statements after the verdict, specifically a June 11 interview with WFAA, in which he said the jury “got it right” and that Anthony received a fair trial.
“Yes, it was an easy decision. I’ll tell you why, my primary goal in every case is to make sure the defendant and the prosecution get a fair trial. Period,” Roach said during the interview. “I know I made people mad, but I’m not here to make them happy either.”
Roach had also issued a gag order during the trial and later released a letter describing the case as one of the great honors of his judicial career while defending the proceedings as fair.
On Wednesday, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region in San Antonio, who had been assigned to hear the recusal request, granted the motion.
Roach will no longer preside over the pending motion for a new trial or any further post-conviction proceedings.
The new-trial hearing itself is expected to proceed under a different judge.
Anthony remains incarcerated under the 35-year sentence while the appeals play out.
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