Karmelo Anthony's Alleged Racist and Homophobic Texts Exposed in Court Documents — as Convicted Killer's New Trial Bid Is Denied
Racist and homophobic text messages attributed to killer Karmelo Anthony have been discovered.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 6:20 p.m. ET
A trove of allegedly racist and homophobic texts from convicted killer Karmelo Anthony has been exposed during a contentious hearing on his request for a retrial, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
The now-19-year-old's bid was rejected by a judge after he was found guilty earlier this year of stabbing Austin Metcalf, 17, at a high school track meet in a Dallas suburb in 2025.
Karmelo Anthony's Damaging Texts Have Been Made Public
Anthony was convicted of killing Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet.
The text messages were originally kept from jurors after an "off-the-record agreement" between prosecutors and the defense team was reached, agreeing to keep damaging character evidence about both teens out of the trial.
However, that controversial agreement apparently did not extend to a retrial – thus a 75-page court dossier on Anthony revealed never-before-seen photos of the teen killer posing with guns, using racist and homophobic dialogue, and threatening violence towards others and his school before he murdered Metcalf.
Among the files are a series of racist texts that Anthony allegedly sent to his girlfriend, Valeria Perez, in March 2025, in which he expressed sentiments like, "I f------ despise black b----es," and that "f---ing n---ers" all "need to go die."
In a separate rant about homosexual people in June 2021, Anthony told a friend: "These f------ gay people are f------ everything up," while later adding, "This n---a Joe Biden Gay ASB [as b-lls]."
Several of the photos show Anthony posing with various weapons, including a handgun and an AK-47-style rifle. There reportedly was also a video Anthony took of himself pointing a gun at an unknown house before running away on January 4, 2025.
Karmelo Anthony's Retrial Request Denied
Anthony was found guilty of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of killing Metcalf, despite claiming he'd acted in self-defense when he plunged a knife into the victim's chest.
As Radar reported, Anthony's retrial request in Texas was denied by a judge following a two-day hearing in the latest chapter in the racially fraught case.
Lawyers for the teen argued that his murder trial was compromised due to strict courtroom rules that limited the public's access to the proceedings and allegedly improper instructions to the jury.
But during the appeal hearing, prosecutors alleged that Anthony had previously stalked an ex-girlfriend and had violent text messages on his phone, including a threat to "shoot the school up" and "Imma stab someone and lick the blood off the blade."
'Touch Me, See What Happens'
Metcalf and Anthony got into a fight while searching for shelter from a rain storm.
Anthony killed Metcalf in April 2025 after the two got into a fight at a high school track meet.
According to prosecutors, Anthony ran under a tent to get out of the rain during the event. The tent was meant for Frisco Memorial High, Metcalf's school, and when Metcalf told Anthony to leave, a fight broke out.
Anthony, then 17, dared Metcalf, "Touch me, see what happens," and according to reports, Metcalf responded by either pushing or grabbing Anthony before Anthony pulled a knife from his bag and stabbed him in the chest.
Collin County prosecutor Bill Wirskye told jurors that Metcalf remarked, "I've been stabbed," after seeing his wound.
The bleeding victim then stumbled down a few rows of bleachers as his twin brother, Hunter, rushed to his side.
Karmelo Anthony Argued the Attack was Self-Defense
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Metcalf died at the scene.
Anthony then reportedly dropped the knife and tried to leave the stadium, attempting to blend in with other exiting students, but was stopped by a coach.
"He plunged a knife into his heart and ran away," Wirskye said in court. "This case is not self-defense. This was simply senseless."
When a police officer eventually arrested Anthony, calling him an "alleged suspect," the killer reportedly admitted: "I'm not alleged, I did it."
A police report claims Anthony cried and told officers that he acted in self-defense. He said Metcalf had "put his hands on me. I told him not to."
