In a stunning revelation, prosecutors in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony — the Texas teen convicted of stabbing Austin Metcalf to death at a track meet — concealed key evidence that could have bolstered their case, according to court testimony this week.
The hidden evidence includes violent text messages Anthony sent to an ex-girlfriend on the day of the killing, including a photo of his knife with the caption “I’m low key on the verge,” and a message where he fantasized about stabbing someone and licking blood off the blade.
Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye admitted in court Thursday that the state possessed these messages but did not present them to the jury, citing what he described as a “gentleman’s agreement” with the defense to avoid a “racial tinderbox.”
The Secret Deal
According to Wirskye, the prosecution offered the agreement before trial because the defense claimed to have evidence that Metcalf had written racist messages in the past. The prosecution worried that if both sides introduced the evidence, the trial would inflame racial tensions publicly.
So, in a secret arrangement, the prosecution agreed to withhold Anthony’s text messages, and the defense agreed not to raise Metcalf’s alleged racist messages. The deal was made without public knowledge or a judge’s ruling — a process that critics now say undermined the adversarial justice system.
What the Texts Revealed
The texts, sent to an ex-girlfriend after a breakup, were contemporaneous statements from Anthony on the morning of April 2, the day he stabbed Metcalf. The ex-girlfriend took them seriously enough to complain to a school assistant principal that Anthony was stalking her and was “obsessed with fights, guns, and knives.”
The messages directly undercut any claim of self-defense, showing Anthony in a state of agitation and fantasizing about using a knife. “This is not a close call,” the source material argues. “These text messages completely demolish any claim of self-defense.”
Anthony’s Conviction and New Trial Bid
Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His lawyers are now seeking a new trial, arguing that the hidden evidence would have changed the outcome — though they were complicit in hiding it.
The defense’s own former attorney, Mike Howard, testified that he had criminal information on both Austin Metcalf and his twin brother, Hunter, including photographs of graffiti allegedly spray-painted by the twins, containing racial slurs and “kill all black people.”
But the prosecution’s decision to bury the texts is now under scrutiny. Legal experts note that the texts were clearly admissible and relevant to premeditation, while Metcalf’s alleged messages did not relate to any threat of violence on the day of the killing.
Wirskye’s rationale — avoiding public controversy — has been met with skepticism, as it effectively gave the defense a major advantage while depriving the jury of critical evidence. The case is now in the hands of a judge hearing arguments about the withheld materials.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/prosecutors-in-karmelo-anthony-case-hid-the-most-damning-evidence