Karmelo Anthony's new legal team has filed a pair of post-conviction motions accusing the judge who oversaw his murder trial of bias and arguing that courtroom restrictions breached his constitutional right to a public trial. The filings ask Collin County Judge John Roach to recuse himself from all remaining post-trial proceedings and request a new trial on the basis of what the defence calls constitutional and legal errors during the prosecution. The move matters because it represents the first significant challenge from Anthony's new lawyers as they seek to overturn his conviction.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, whom he fatally stabbed during an altercation at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, and a Collin County jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The motions are led by attorney Russell Wilson, who is representing Anthony pro bono during the appeals process and declined to comment. The defence argues that Roach's public remarks after the verdict — including telling reporters the jury "got it right" and defending rulings such as his dismissal of three Black prospective jurors and his handling of courtroom access — created an appearance that he cannot impartially rule on the post-trial motions.