In June, Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murdering Austin Metcalf during a school-related sporting event. He was sentenced to 35 years.
Now his defense team is seeking a new trial, claiming that the judge in the case was biased, that the instructions given to the jury were unclear, and that there were several other issues. A date for a hearing in August has already been set.
FOX 4 in Texas reports:
Hearings are set for next month as Karmelo Anthony seeks a new trial, six weeks after he was sentenced to prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet stabbing.What we know: Anthony’s legal team is seeking a new trial over claims that the trial was effectively closed to the public, that prosecutors did not honor an off-the-record evidentiary agreement, and that instructions to the jury made it difficult for them to consider Anthony acted in self-defense.They also asked for Judge John Roach to be removed from post-trial hearings because of his alleged bias.In court filings, Anthony’s lawyers said the judge made comments to news reporters following the trial and “expressed personal opinions about the propriety and correctness of the jury’s verdict, the fairness of the trial and the correctness of the judge’s own rulings during the trial.”When a reporter asked Roach if the jury got it right, he responded, “Yeah, they did.” The judge then reportedly explained himself and talked about his rulings.The defense argued that the judge’s personal views suggest his probable decision on a motion for a new trial.What’s new: A different Collin County judge will hold a hearing on Aug. 19 to on the motion to replace Judge Roach.The next day, the defense team will argue their motion for a new trial.
Do these folks really think a new trial will find him not guilty and send him home? He was lucky to avoid the death penalty.
This seems like a futile exercise.
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