New legal team to tackle Karmelo Anthony appeal

A new team of attorneys plan to pursue an appeal of the murder conviction of Karmelo Anthony, a young Black man convicted in the 2025 stabbing death of another teen at a suburban Dallas at a high school track meet. 

The attorneys announced Monday that they have filed a substitution of counsel and will conduct an independent review of the trial record to determine whether legal errors occurred during the proceedings. The team said it will pursue all available avenues of appeal on Anthony’s behalf and are serving pro bono.

The legal team includes Dallas attorney Russell Wilson II, Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, criminal defense attorney Michael Ware, civil rights attorney Brooke Cluse, criminal defense lawyer Sean Daredia and trial attorney Justin Moore.

Anthony, now 19, was convicted June 9 in the death of Austin Metcalfe, 17, who he claimed had attempted to attack him with a group of other boys who wanted him to leave their tent at the track meet in Frisco, Tex. Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalfe in the chest and at trial argued self-defense. But a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and within hours he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Critics have said that no African Americans were seated on the jury, preventing a fair trial. The case has drawn much national attention due to the age of the two boys as well as the broader issue that race plays into the criminal justice process.

In an official statement, the attorneys acknowledged the impact of the case on both families while maintaining their role in the appellate process.

“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 official statement said.

Wilson, who is leading the effort, is a board-certified criminal law attorney and former director of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit. Ware, also a board-certified criminal law attorney, founded what is widely regarded as the nation’s first conviction integrity unit while serving in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.

The team also includes Bledsoe, an Austin attorney who has served as president of the Texas NAACP since 1991; Cluse, a civil rights attorney and chief of staff to attorney Ben Crump; Daredia, a criminal defense attorney known for handling murder and capital murder cases; and Moore, whose practice focuses on criminal defense and post-conviction advocacy.

An appeal is not a new trial but a legal review of the proceedings to determine whether errors occurred that may have affected the outcome. Appellate courts can uphold a conviction, order a new trial or take other actions depending on their findings.

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