Prominent Attorneys Form Team Aimed at Overturning Karmelo Anthony's Murder Conviction
It does not appear convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony will go off quietly into the sunset, and an all-star group of activists and attorneys are doing everything they can to ensure he won’t have to.
According to multiple reports, Anthony — who was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in 2025 — has already appealed his conviction.
And the stars appear to be aligning to ensure Anthony’s conviction is overturned.
CBS News reported that on June 22, a “group of well-known civil rights and criminal defense attorneys” collectively announced that they would be in Anthony’s corner.
“Our appellate team has been retained following the conviction to conduct a fresh, independent review of the trial record,” the group said via statement. “We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events.”
“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal.”
“The appellate process exists for precisely this purpose.”
CBS News noted, “Anthony’s appeal team will include Russell Wilson with the Law Office of Russell Wilson II; Gary Bledsoe with the Bledsoe Law Firm PLLC and President of the Texas NAACP; Michael L. Ware with the Law Office of Michael Ware; Brooke Cluse with Ben Crump Law; Sean Daredia with the Daredia Law Firm, and Justin A. Moore with Stafford Moore PLLC.”
For those who keep up with these sorts of affairs, the Ben Crump Law name may seem familiar.
And that’s because Crump’s offices were famously involved in several racially charged cases involving men like Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and George Floyd.
Now, Crump’s offices — along with several others — have joined forces to try and overturn Anthony’s verdict.
According to The Defender, this “powerhouse” litigation team is working on Anthony’s behalf pro bono.
More curiously, however, it appears that this new legal alliance already has a very specific strategy in place.
In short, the legal team is challenging the verdict based on the fact that there were no black jurors on the panel. Anthony is black.
Anthony was convicted for murdering Metcalf during a 2025 track meet in Frisco, Texas, where some sort of an interaction led to Anthony fatally stabbing Metcalf.
While Anthony’s original defense tried to paint this act as one borne out of self-defense, the jury didn’t buy it and ultimately convicted him in June 2026.
Pending this latest challenge, Anthony has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
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