Overview
- Visiting Judge Sid Harle granted the defense’s request on Wednesday, August 19, removing Collin County Judge John Roach from any further matters in the case.
- The defense relied on a televised interview Roach gave after sentencing in which he said the jury “got it right,” arguing those remarks and other public statements could create a reasonable appearance of bias.
- A new judge, Michael B. Chitty, has been assigned to consider Anthony’s motion for a new trial at a hearing scheduled for Thursday, August 20, while Anthony remains jailed at the Pack Unit near Navasota.
- Anthony’s lawyers say the June trial was procedurally unfair because Roach limited public and media access, the court gave improper jury instructions, and prosecutors blocked Anthony from testifying; prosecutors reject those claims and say they remain confident in the verdict.
- The underlying case stems from an April 2, 2025, confrontation at a Frisco high‑school track meet in which prosecutors say Anthony, then 17, fatally stabbed 17‑year‑old Austin Metcalf, a trial in June produced a guilty verdict after less than three hours of jury deliberation and Anthony did not testify.