{"id":24181,"date":"2026-08-19T15:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24181"},"modified":"2026-08-19T15:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:12:21","slug":"karmelo-anthony-recusal-hearing-targets-judge-john-roach-over-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24181","title":{"rendered":"Karmelo Anthony recusal hearing targets Judge John Roach over bias"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A Texas judge will hear arguments Wednesday over whether the judge who presided over Karmelo Anthony\u2019s June murder trial should be removed from his post-trial case, one day before a separate hearing on the convicted murderer\u2019s request for a new trial.<\/p>\n

Anthony\u2019s new legal team, led by attorney Russell Wilson II, has asked another judge to remove Judge John Roach from all remaining proceedings, arguing Roach\u2019s public comments after the trial created an appearance of bias.<\/p>\n

The recusal hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday. Court records identify Judge Sid Harle as the presiding judge.<\/p>\n

KARMELO ANTHONY BLASTS JUDGE IN NEW FILING OVER HANDLING OF MURDER TRIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony is expected to attend Wednesday\u2019s hearing, a Collin County official told Fox News Digital. The official said a bench warrant had been issued in the case.<\/p>\n

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Karmelo Anthony is pictured after being transferred to the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He was transported to his unit of assignment at the Pack Unit near Navasota.<\/span> (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Anthony was convicted in June of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who prosecutors said he fatally stabbed during an altercation at a Frisco track meet. A Collin County jury sentenced Anthony to 35 years in prison.<\/p>\n

KARMELO ANTHONY FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER IN TEXAS TRACK MEET STABBING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilson leads Anthony\u2019s legal team, which filed two motions July 7 \u2013 one to recuse Roach and the other seeking a new trial. The new-trial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n

The defense argues Roach cannot fairly rule on the post-trial motions because of remarks he made to reporters after the verdict.<\/p>\n

KARMELO ANTHONY TRIAL IGNITES RIVAL CAMPS THAT THREATEN TO GET IN JURORS\u2019 HEADS IN TRACK MEET STABBING: EXPERT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Austin<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
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Austin Metcalf, left, is pictured with his father, Jeff, top right, and with his twin brother, Hunter, bottom right.<\/span> (Jeff Metcalf)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

KARMELO ANTHONY STAYS SILENT AS ANALYSTS WARN DEFENSE FACES UPHILL BATTLE IN TRACK MEET STABBING TRIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

The filing cites comments in which Roach said the jury “got it right” and defended several trial rulings, including his handling of courtroom access and the dismissal of three Black prospective jurors.<\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony\u2019s attorneys contend those comments have created the appearance that Roach prejudged the defense\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n

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The filing does not directly challenge Anthony\u2019s guilt or innocence. Instead, it alleges constitutional and legal errors that the defense says deprived him of a fair trial.<\/p>\n

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A courtroom sketch shows Judge John Roach overseeing proceedings in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial.<\/span> (Pat Lopez)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The motion argues Anthony\u2019s trial was not open enough to the public. Cameras were barred from the courtroom and only 27 seats were available for members of the public.<\/p>\n

SEND US A TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony\u2019s lawyers also accuse prosecutors of breaking an off-the-record agreement about character evidence and other alleged acts unrelated to the murder charge. They argue the dispute forced Anthony to decide whether to testify while risking the introduction of evidence they say could unfairly prejudice jurors.<\/p>\n

CONVICTED KILLER KARMELO ANTHONY CLAIMS HE IS ‘PENNILESS’ IN APPEAL DESPITE MAJOR DONOR-FUNDED LEGAL CAMPAIGN<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defense also challenges the jury instructions, arguing they limited jurors\u2019 ability to fully consider Anthony\u2019s claim of self-defense.<\/p>\n

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roach referred the recusal request to another judge under Texas procedure.<\/p>\n

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The outcome of Wednesday\u2019s hearing could determine who handles Anthony\u2019s new-trial motion and other remaining post-conviction matters in the trial court.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fox News Digital has reached out to Anthony\u2019s defense team for comment.<\/p>\n

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Greg Wehner is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering U.S. news and crime, with a focus on breaking developments, law enforcement, public safety and major stories shaping communities across the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Texas judge will hear arguments Wednesday…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}