Defense cites courtroom rules, jury instructions in retrial bid
Anthony’s attorneys are pursuing two motions in hearings set to begin Wednesday in a suburban Dallas courtroom: one for a new trial and another for the substitution of a new judge.
Karmelo Anthony, now 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a Collin County jury in June rejected his claims of self-defense in the killing of Austin Metcalf during a confrontation in the stadium bleachers last year. The conviction came at the close of a nearly weeklong trial.
Anthony’s legal team has argued that a retrial is warranted in part because state District Judge John Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules during the proceedings. The defense has also contended that the judge gave incomplete instructions to the jury that convicted Anthony.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before returning the guilty verdict. Hearings on the two motions were scheduled to begin Wednesday in suburban Dallas.