McKinney, Texas (August 19, 2026) – Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and the post-conviction legal team for Karmelo Anthony, led by attorney Russell Wilson II and including Ben Crump Law attorney Brooke Cluse, responded today after Judge Sid Harle of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region granted the defense motion to recuse State District Judge John Roach Jr. from Karmelo’s post-conviction proceedings.
The motion argued that Judge Roach’s public comments following the June verdict, including remarks to reporters endorsing the jury’s decision and defending his own rulings on courtroom access, created an appearance of partiality that disqualified him from reviewing those same rulings. “Judge Roach’s own public statements reflect substantial personal involvement in the logistics and access decisions now at issue,” the motion stated.
Karmelo’s motion for a new trial is set to be heard Thursday, August 20. That motion argues that restrictions on public access amounted to a closure of the courtroom without the findings the law requires, that the prosecution violated an agreement limiting evidence about the two teenagers’ character and background, and that the jury was prevented from fully considering whether Karmelo acted in self-defense.
The legal team released the following statement:
“The rulings at the center of this motion for a new trial are the trial judge’s own rulings, and he had already told the public how he felt about them. No defendant should have to ask the same judge to reconsider decisions he has publicly defended. Today’s ruling means Karmelo’s motion will be heard by a judge who comes to it fresh, which is what due process requires and what we asked for.
“Nothing about today changes the fact that a young man lost his life, and the Metcalf family carries that loss every day. What today does is give this case the impartial review the Constitution guarantees every defendant, no matter how much attention the case has drawn. We will be in court Thursday morning.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
