The legal team representing Karmelo Anthony is pushing for a new trial and demanding the recusal of a state judge.
This move comes a month after a Texas jury found the 19-year-old guilty of murder.
Anthony received a 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. The incident occurred during a track meet in 2025.
In a motion filed on Tuesday, defense attorneys contended that the conviction should be overturned. They alleged that prosecutors coerced Anthony into waiving his constitutional right to testify.
The defense lawyers accused the prosecution of violating an unwritten agreement.
This arrangement was reportedly established during off-the-record phone calls to prevent media coverage regarding past misdeeds of both teenagers.
According to the defense, both sides agreed to build cases based solely on the specific events that transpired under the tent that day.
They promised to exclude any extraneous-conduct evidence about the character or reputation of either Anthony or Metcalf.
Adhering to this pact, defense attorneys refrained from questioning students on the witness stand about statements given to police regarding Metcalf's alleged temperament.
However, Anthony's attorneys claimed that on the final day of evidence, prosecutors asserted a detail about Anthony playing chess in the opening statement changed the situation.
The prosecution argued this detail opened the door to character-related evidence.
Anthony ultimately chose not to testify after receiving a court advisory. The advisory indicated his testimony would almost certainly permit the introduction of extraneous-offence evidence.
Furthermore, the motion claimed Anthony's constitutional right to a public trial was compromised due to strict limitations placed on camera and streaming access inside the courtroom.
The defense team also argued that the jury received improper instructions to disregard Anthony's self-defense claim during deliberations.
"On a record in which self-defense was the heart of the case, that error was not harmless, and it requires a new trial," the lawyers wrote in the motion.
The Collin County District Attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment regarding the assertions made in the defense motion on Tuesday evening.
Following the announcement of the 35-year sentence, the county district attorney held a news conference alongside the Metcalf family, stating that justice had been served.
The confrontation took place in Frisco, a suburb located 28 miles north of Dallas.
It quickly attracted national attention and sparked online debates regarding potential racial dynamics, as Anthony is Black and Metcalf was white.
Far-right influencer Jake Lang and his group, Protect White Americans, organized protests in Frisco, spreading narratives regarding the event.
Lang was banned from entering Texas last month after allegedly making a terroristic threat against Anthony.
Jury selection also drew scrutiny after three African American individuals were struck from the panel. Prosecutors denied racial motivation, attributing the decision to the individuals' backgrounds as educators.
