The legal team for Anthony Karmelo didn’t waste any time on Tuesday, June 9. They filed a notice of appeal in Collin County. That quick move locked in his rights and kicked off a big appellate review.
Filing Against The Clock
His attorneys were well aware that under Texas law, the clock runs fast after sentencing. Defendants only get a strict 30-day window to file that notice. Miss it, and you lose your right to fight the conviction entirely.
According to CBS Texas on YouTube, the official notice filed in Collin County is just the formal start. It “just notifies the court and everyone involved of the intent to move forward with an appeal.”
By filing so fast, defense attorney Mike Howard made sure Anthony’s rights stayed preserved.
The team also flagged Anthony Karmelo as “indigent,” per Khou11. That sped up the process to get a court-appointed appellate lawyer on the state’s dime.
Going forward, appellate attorneys will need to review the trial record in detail.
The Probable Main Argument
The legal angle most likely centers on the jury. One issue expected to feature prominently is jury selection.
The defense is ready to bring a Batson challenge to the 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas.
News One explained that a Batson Challenge “is a legal tool used when one side believes the other is excluding jurors because of race or another protected characteristic.”
If appellate judges agree the jury-selection process was flawed, they could order a new trial. The precedent was set in the Batson v. Kentucky in 1986.
Prosecutors in the Anthony Karmelo trial used peremptory strikes to remove three Black potential jurors. Thus, the final jury had zero Black members.
The trial judge, Angela Tucker accepted the prosecution’s argument that the rejected folks were educators and worked with kids.
Were All The Rules Followed?
Appellate courts care more about whether the legal rules were applied correctly during jury selection. That makes this a big deal.
Don’t expect this to wrap up fast. Legal experts say just having no jurors of a certain race isn’t enough to win an appeal
The defense has to prove intentional discrimination. CBS Texas mentioned that “this appeal process isn’t going to be a quick one.”
It could take weeks or months just for the court reporter to type up the official trial transcript. Notably, that happens before the appellate court even looks at a brief.
Here’s The Breakdown
The appeal came less than 24 hours after sentencing. They targeted the lack of Black jurors. They claim the prosecution used a “race-neutral” excuse about those jurors being educators.
On June 9, 2026, the Collin County jury rejected a “sudden passion” argument.
That would have capped prison time at 20 years. Instead they gave 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony 35 years.
The verdict came after only three hours of deliberation.
The trial itself lasted one week. Pretty short, really, given the pre-trial build-up.
Evidence Presented
The prosecution brought 21 witnesses. A medical examiner described the wound to the victim’s heart. It wasn’t survivable.
The defense called some coaches to say Anthony had good character. But they rested their case without putting Anthony on the stand.
The Incident
The original incident happened on April 2, 2025. It went down during a regional track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco.
A bad thunderstorm delayed everything. Anthony, a student at Centennial High sheltered under the Memorial High School team tent for shelter.
At the time, wfaa.com reported that a verbal fight started when Memorial student Austin Metcalf, 17, and his twin brother told Anthony to leave.
Witnesses said Anthony warned them, “Touch me and see what happens.”
Then he pulled a hidden knife from his backpack and hit Metcalf once in the chest. Anthony turned himself in to a school resource officer a few minutes later. He said it was self-defense.
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