Texas Judge Recused From Karmelo Anthony Murder Case Due To Bias Claims

A Texas judge granted Karmelo Anthony's request Wednesday to remove the presiding judge from his post-trial case, ruling that an impartial outsider could question the fairness of Judge John Roach. Roach oversaw the June murder trial before Anthony's legal team played a WFAA interview in court and argued his statements proved he had already prejudged their fight for a new trial.

Sid Harle presided over Wednesday's hearing after issuing a bench warrant to force Anthony back to court, where the retired District Judge Michael Chitty was assigned to handle the remaining motions. The recusal motion began at 9 a.m., and records listed Harle as the active judge until he stepped aside based on public comments Roach made after the verdict.

Anthony was convicted in June of killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, whom prosecutors said he fatally stabbed during a fight at a Frisco track meet. A Collin County jury sentenced him to thirty-five years inside. The defense now claims that because Roach told reporters the jury "got it right" and defended his own rulings on courtroom access and the dismissal of three Black prospective jurors, no fair judge can rule on their motion for a new trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.

Harle admitted he did not know Roach personally and described recusal as a high bar to clear. He stated that while he believed Roach could be fair, the issue lay in whether a third party viewing those public remarks would doubt his neutrality. The filing does not attack Anthony's guilt directly but alleges constitutional errors including barring cameras from the courtroom and limiting public seating to just twenty-seven seats.

Lawyers also accuse prosecutors of breaking an off-the-record agreement regarding character evidence, forcing Anthony into a tough choice about testifying while risking unfair prejudice against him. They further challenge jury instructions that allegedly restricted jurors from fully considering his self-defense claim. Roach referred the request under Texas procedure, and Harle's decision means another judge must now oversee these critical proceedings before Chitty steps in Thursday morning.