McKinney, Texas - A judge has denied convicted Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony’s bid for a new murder trial after he was found guilty of killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in 2025, and legal experts have thoughts on the matter.

In a Saturday ruling, retired Kaufman County Judge Michael Chitty denied Anthony's appeal for a new trial. But the 19-year-old's lead attorney, Russell Wilson, says the process isn't over.

"Upon reviewing the motion, the record, the evidence and argument, the briefs, and the relevant case law, the Court has determined that the motion should be denied," Judge Chitty wrote in the order, which was shared in a post on X by Fox 4 reporter Steven Dial. "It is therefore considered, ordered, and adjudged by the Court that the Motion for New Trial is denied."

In a statement provided to WFAA in Dallas, Wilson said, "The denial of our motion does not end this case. We will continue the appeal in the Fifth Court of Appeals and pursue every legal remedy available to our client."

Murder Karmelo Anthony's new trial talks have a former prosecutor sounding off: "Huge mistake"

Following the judge's denial of a retrial, attorney and columnist Jonathan Turley reacted to the news in a post on X, writing, "As expected, Karmelo Anthony was denied a new trial. Despite the existence of alarming evidence against both the victim and Anthony, counsel made a strategic decision to leave the information out of the trial. Courts tend not to second-guess such tactical moves."

The "strategic decision" Turley mentions refers to the "gentleman's agreement" between the defense and prosecution, in which both parties chose not to introduce character evidence. Legal experts have called this a "big mistake" for both parties, questioning how a defendant using self-defense as his reasoning would not take the stand.

In Turley's opinion, per his post on X, "Anthony was second-guessing tactical decisions made at trial after they led to his conviction. His failure to testify was a weighty choice and perhaps an unwise one. However, it was knowing and voluntary."

The judge's denial came one day after a two-day evidentiary hearing where Anthony's new legal team, led by appellate attorney Russell Wilson, presented their argument, anchored in claims that his legal rights were compromised during the initial proceeding by the off-the-record "gentleman’s agreement" between the prosecution and his original trial lawyers.

Anthony was arrested for stabbing and killing Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in North Texas in April 2025. A juryfound him guilty of first-degree murder in June 2026, and he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.