A Texas judge has denied a request for a new trial for Karmelo Anthony, the teenager convicted of murder for killing a fellow student athlete at an April 2025 track meet.

Anthony, 19, was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison in June for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, in Frisco, north of Dallas. Prosecutors argued that Anthony initiated and quickly escalated the deadly confrontation while Anthony’s defense has maintained he acted in self-defense. The closely watched trial drew national attention and was marked by controversy, racial tensions and public demonstrations in support of both families.

After Anthony’s conviction, his new legal team filed a motion asking the court to grant him a new trial and remove the judge who presided over his murder trial from future proceedings for multiple reasons, including that prosecutors reneged on an off-the-record agreement during the trial and the judge imposed courtroom restrictions that violated his right to a public trial.

Judge Sid Harle sided with the defense on Aug. 19 and ordered that Collin County Judge John Roach Jr. be removed from the case. But days later, Judge Michael Chitty denied the defense’s motion for a new trial, attorneys for the defense and prosecution confirmed to USA TODAY.

Anthony’s legal team said in a statement to USA TODAY that they are “disappointed” in Chitty’s ruling but “not deterred.”

“We will continue to challenge Karmelo’s conviction and pursue every legal remedy available to him,” the attorneys said in a statement. “We will take these issues to the appellate courts and wherever else the law permits us to go because we believe deeply in Karmelo, in his constitutional rights and in the justice we are seeking on his behalf.”

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said prosecutors “respect, and expected the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial.

“The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process,” Willis said in a statement. “Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”

Contributing: Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY Network