Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teenager convicted of killing fellow student Austin Metcalf, is seeking a new trial, with his lawyers arguing his constitutional rights were violated during the original proceedings. A Texas court has removed Judge John Roach from the case after defence lawyers raised concerns about bias, and a new judge is due to preside over the upcoming hearing where these claims will be argued.

Anthony is currently serving a 35-year sentence for Metcalf's killing, having claimed self-defence at trial. Central to the appeal is a dispute over an unwritten agreement that reportedly influenced the decision to keep Anthony off the witness stand during the original trial, an issue his lawyers say undermined his defence. The case has drawn wider scrutiny after his defence formally rested during the initial proceedings, and the removal of the presiding judge adds a further complication as the appeal moves forward.