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The trial of Karmelo Anthony, the black teenager accused of stabbing to death Austin Metcalf at a school track meet, will be subject to a near-complete media blackout, according to the presiding judge.
Collin County District Judge John Roach Jr. has banned all recording devices and will only allow a small number of reporters into the court room.
Roach says media coverage could prejudice the trial.
The new rules, reported by The Gateway Pundit, are as follows:
- The courtroom opens at 8:30 a.m. with staggered entry: credentialed media at 8:30 a.m., victims’ and defendant’s families at 8:40 a.m., and the general public at 8:50 a.m. Doors close at 9:00 a.m. with no re-entry until recess.
- Only nine credentialed media members are permitted inside the courtroom at any time. The Collin County Public Information Office will manage all credentials and seating.
- No photography, video, audio recording, livestreaming, or any visual/audio capture is allowed by media or the public.
- No images or recordings of witnesses, prospective jurors, or jurors may be published.
- Media interviews with trial participants are prohibited inside the courtroom and can only occur after the trial ends.
- Strict decorum is required — no reactions, outbursts, talking, signs, or gestures.
- All attendees must clear security screening.
- Trial exhibits will not be released until after the verdict.
Violations of these rules could result in removal from the courtroom, loss of credentials or contempt-of-court charges against offenders.
The order will be enforced by the local sheriff’s office.
The defendant’s family have done their best to claim Karmelo Anthony will not receive a fair trial.
An appointed spokesman described the trial as a “fight against white supremacy.”
“This case is yet another example of what it means to be Black in America, where even our self-defense is questioned, scrutinized, and politicized.”
He added, “To the racists, the bigots, and those filled with hate who’ve targeted Karmelo, his family, and even myself—you do not intimidate us. We are not backing down.”
Last summer, reporters were shown footage behind closed doors of the fatal stabbing. It was widely reported that there was no evidence of a physical altercation before the stabbing, despite Anthony claiming he acted in self-defense.
The journalists who viewed the footage did so under strict conditions: They were only allowed to take handwritten notes and were barred from capturing or republishing clips or stills from the incident.
The local police district said it allowed the footage to be viewed because the students’ identities are not clearly discernible.
The stabbing itself was not visible on camera, but the terrified reaction of students, and the frantic attempts to tend to Metcalf as he lay dying, are.
The Daily Mail noted that, “While other video angles may exist, the surveillance reviewed appears to challenge the self-defense claim, offering little visible evidence that Anthony was in immediate danger before the attack.”
Although Anthony was 17 at the time of the stabbing, he will be charged with murder as an adult. He will not face the death penalty, however, and he will be eligible for parole.
Despite the charge against him, Anthony was granted bail and allowed to graduate from high school.
His family moved into an expensive rented house in a gated community and amassed over half a million dollars in crowdfunding money, before moving to a secret location after claims their safety was at risk.
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