New lawyers will appeal Karmelo Anthony’s murder conviction in Frisco stabbing
A new team of lawyers will appeal the murder conviction of Karmelo Anthony, who was sentenced earlier this month to 35 years in the death of Austin Metcalf.
Anthony, 19, whose attorneys argued self-defense, was found guilty of murder on June 9, in the fatal stabbing of Metcalf, 17, at a Frisco track meet in April 2025.
A team, led by attorney Russell Wilson will include appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, who will be serving pro bono to review the trial record and pursue “all available avenues of appeal,” the Stand With Karmelo coalition said in a news release on Monday.
In addition to Willson, the legal team includes Gary Bledsoe, Michael L. Ware, Brooke Cluse, Sean Daredia, and Justin A. Moore, who were retained after the convention to conduct a “fresh” and independent review of the trial records, the release stated.
“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the attorneys said in the release.
“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the release stated.
A Collin County Court publicly released part of photo and video evidence of what was shown to the jury and court in the trial on Friday.
The evidence included surveillance video of Anthony fleeing the bleachers after the stabbing, body camera footage of his confession during arrest and photographs of the knife used.