DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony on Saturday in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet , a killing that drew national attention and led to harassment of the families.
Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate. Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.
“The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”
“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced.
Because they said trial judge John Roach’s courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the public’s access to the proceedings, anthony’s attorneys also demanded a retrial.
And in asking for Roach’s recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he said the jury “got it right. Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.
