Nationwide — Karmelo Anthony’s murder conviction is drawing renewed attention after court records revealed allegations involving guns, violent threats, hateful messages, and a teenage conversation about Donald Trump. The information was never presented to the jury that convicted him, largely because prosecutors and his original defense team agreed to keep the teenagers’ backgrounds out of the trial.
The records surfaced as Anthony sought a new trial following his conviction for killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. During the post-trial proceedings, prosecutors presented a 75-page character dossier detailing allegations about his behavior. The material reportedly included messages about carrying firearms, fighting and threatening others, along with photos and videos showing him with guns. Prosecutors also cited a 2023 message in which he allegedly wrote about shooting up a school before later saying he would never actually do it. Other messages reportedly included racial slurs and the statement, “I hate gay ppl.”
The records also included a conversation from 2021, when Anthony was around 13 or 14. He reportedly told a friend that he supported Trump over then-President Joe Biden because he believed Trump disliked gay people and said he felt the same way. The exchange reflects what he reportedly said as a young teenager. It does not show whether he later maintained those views, supported Trump as an adult or voted in any election. While the Trump comments received significant attention, they were only a small part of the material revealed after the trial.
Jurors did not hear any of those allegations because of an agreement between prosecutors and Anthony’s original defense attorneys. According to EURWeb, both sides agreed to leave background information about Anthony, Metcalf and Metcalf’s twin brother out of the murder case. The arrangement kept the trial centered on the confrontation beneath a team tent at a high school track meet. As a result, prosecutors did not present Anthony’s alleged gun-related behavior, threatening messages or other character evidence to the jury.
The same agreement later became a major issue in Anthony’s attempt to obtain a new trial. His new attorneys argued that information about Metcalf’s own history could have helped jurors determine who was the aggressor during the confrontation. Court records cited allegations involving racist graffiti, racial slurs, bullying, and disciplinary problems involving Metcalf. Prosecutors responded by bringing Anthony’s background into the post-trial proceedings, giving the public a look at information that jurors had never been allowed to consider.
A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of murder in June 2026 after rejecting his claim that he acted in self-defense when he fatally stabbed Metcalf during their April 2025 confrontation. He received a 35-year prison sentence. A judge later denied his request for a new trial, and his attorneys have said they plan to continue pursuing appeals. The newly revealed records have therefore added another layer to the case, with the legal dispute now focused in part on whether keeping the teenagers’ backgrounds out of the trial affected what the jury was able to consider when deciding the case.