{"id":2648303,"date":"2026-08-22T11:12:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karmelo-anthonys-legal-team-smears-austin-metcalf-in-desperate-attempt-to-overturn-conviction\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T11:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:16:58","slug":"karmelo-anthonys-legal-team-smears-austin-metcalf-in-desperate-attempt-to-overturn-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karmelo-anthonys-legal-team-smears-austin-metcalf-in-desperate-attempt-to-overturn-conviction\/","title":{"rendered":"Karmelo Anthony&#8217;s Legal Team Smears Austin Metcalf in Desperate Attempt to Overturn Conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkarmelo-anthonys-legal-team-smears-austin-metcalf-in-desperate-attempt-to-overturn-conviction%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2648303&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the content discusses the decline of accountability in 2026, highlighting how public figures, politicians, and institutions tend to avoid admitting mistakes, instead blaming others or external circumstances. It examines a specific legal case involving Karmelo Anthony, who was accused of murder after a fatal stabbing, and how his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-testimony-shows-spygate-conspirators-deceived-the-fbi-using-same-strategy-twice\/\" title=\"... Testimony Shows Spygate Conspirators Deceived The FBI Using Same Strategy Twice\">legal team attempted<\/a> to justify his actions by digging into the victim&#8217;s past misconduct, including racist incidents and prior misconduct.The article criticizes this strategy, emphasizing that such character assassinations are inappropriate, especially because the victim cannot defend himself. It underscores the importance of maintaining moral and legal standards that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-releases-new-plans-for-asylum-seekers-at-southern-border\/\" title=\"Biden admin. releases new plans for asylum-seekers at southern border\">respect human dignity<\/a> and advocates for a culture of accountability that accepts human flaws without excusing deadly violence. Ultimately, it warns that distortion of facts and character attacks undermine justice and the foundational principles of civilization.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>What has happened to accountability in 2026?<\/p>\n<p>From politicians, to world leaders, to millionaires, to celebrities, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sick-of-communist-like-censorship-heres-a-list-of-popular-uncensored-media-options\/\" title=\"Sick Of Communist-Like Censorship? Here\u2019s A List Of Popular Uncensored Media Options\">billion dollar corporations<\/a>, they all seem utterly allergic to ever just saying, \u201cYup, I screwed up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No, rather, it\u2019s always someone else\u2019s fault, some circumstance they couldn\u2019t control, or some ineffable bogeyman.<\/p>\n<p>(Just look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gofundme-lindsay-clancy-family-skyrockets-clancys-mom-reveals-daughter-begged-sleep-night\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mass psychopathy<\/a> coalescing around Lindsay Clancy.)<\/p>\n<p>Given the state of the world, perhaps it should come as little surprise that accused murderer Karmelo Anthony\u2019s latest legal gambit to clear his name involves character assassinating the young man he\u2019s already accused of murdering in cold blood.<\/p>\n<p>To wit, Anthony was thrust into national infamy when he fatally stabbed fellow Texas student-athlete Austin Metcalf in April 2025. The ensuing trial has been an ugly affair, with Metcalf\u2019s grieving family somehow being forced to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/language-warning-watch-austin-metcalfs-dad-blasts-karmelo-anthonys-parents-cowards-grifters-raw-emotional-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defend themselves<\/a> despite the fact that <em>it\u2019s their child who was murdered<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The hotly watched trial reached an initial conclusion in June, where it appeared that Anthony would face 35 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Anthony\u2019s legal team has swiftly challenged that verdict, and even gone so far as to get the original judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/alert-karmelo-anthony-one-step-closer-overturning-guilty-verdict-walking-free-thanks-new-judge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">removed from the case<\/a>. The new judge is mulling over a potential retrial.<\/p>\n<p>For a number of other reasons (including some dubious claims of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/karmelo-anthonys-defense-tatters-provoked-fight-asked-leave-15-times-wanted-fight-say-witnesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">self-defense<\/a>) Anthony\u2019s team and supporters have insisted that the death of Metcalf was somehow justified.<\/p>\n<p>And now it appears they\u2019re taking that logic to its self-fulfilling extreme: They\u2019re digging up dirt on Metcalf\u2019s past in an attempt to brand him as some sort of a racist who deserved to die. And yes, it\u2019s absolutely wild to type those words out in that order.<\/p>\n<p>CBS News Texas reporter J.D. Miles took to social media to  some insight into the allegations.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here\u2019s some of the background report on Austin Metcalf that is being discussed in court during his hearing over a motion for a new trial. It\u2019s more than 20 pages but here are notable incidents.<\/p>\n<p>Austin Metcalf and his brother Hunter were once caught spray painting graffiti\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jdmiles11\/status\/2090525501014028545?\">August 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s just a snippet of what Miles d from some of these new court findings: \u201cAustin Metcalf and his brother Hunter were once caught spray painting graffiti including \u2018KKK kill all blacks\u2019 and \u2018Heil Hitler\u2019 along with the N-word and were sentenced to 12 months of juvenile probation. Records reveal they reportedly told authorities \u2018we did some dumb stuff\u2019 and \u2018we did some vandalism.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are several documented instances of Austin using racial slurs in school and in 2023 Austin was accused of bullying a black student in class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And look, obviously, if all these allegations are true, they\u2019re beyond the pale, and Metcalf (and his brother) frankly deserve far more than a slap on the wrist.<\/p>\n<p>But that grander punishment still falls <em>way <\/em>short of cold-blooded murder.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a controversial take: Even <em>if <\/em>Metcalf had been hurling racial slurs with venom at Anthony, that <em>still <\/em>doesn\u2019t give Anthony the right to kill someone. And yes, I\u2019m aware that\u2019s a legal question for the courts to decide.<\/p>\n<p>But on a moral and spiritual level? The strategy of Anthony\u2019s legal team is beyond the pale, skewering the character of a dead young man who cannot defend himself.<\/p>\n<p>There is, of course, a legitimate distinction between a defense team presenting relevant evidence and simply engaging in character assassination.<\/p>\n<p>If Metcalf\u2019s alleged past behavior has some direct bearing on the facts of the case, then the court is perfectly capable of deciding whether that evidence is relevant and admissible.<\/p>\n<p>But there is something deeply unsettling about the broader rhetorical strategy here. Metcalf cannot take the witness stand. He cannot explain what happened, contest the allegations, apologize for his mistakes, or offer his own account of the events that led to his death. His family cannot bring him back to life to defend his reputation. Yet his alleged misdeeds from years ago are now being resurrected in a courtroom where the central question is how and why he died.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8UPDATE\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n<p>Karmelo Anthony had a history of assaulting people and his record goes back to when he was 6 or 7 years old, according to the prosecutor.<\/p>\n<p>Anthony was living in Louisiana prior to moving to Texas.<\/p>\n<p>He allegedly punched another student after being asked several times\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hTV6QAorFl\">pic.twitter.com\/hTV6QAorFl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BreannaMorello\/status\/2090919343815118894?\">August 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s what makes this tactic so distasteful, even setting aside all legal merits. There is a difference between saying, \u201cHere is evidence that may be relevant to our client\u2019s defense,\u201d and constructing a narrative in which the dead teenager somehow becomes responsible for his own murder.<\/p>\n<p>Human beings do not become fair game for violence because they were cruel, immature, bigoted or even genuinely terrible people (and to be clear, I am not saying Austin Metcalf was that). We have laws precisely because the right to life cannot depend upon passing some retroactive character test administered after death.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, whatever happens in the courtroom, there is a broader lesson here about accountability. We should be extraordinarily careful about creating a culture in which every accusation of wrongdoing is met with an exhaustive search for reasons the accused was supposedly justified, while the people harmed by those actions are placed on trial instead.<\/p>\n<p>Accountability sometimes means accepting that even people we may dislike, even people who may have done ugly things, are still human beings whose lives have value. That principle should not be controversial. It should be the foundation of civilization.<\/p>\n<p>(And in a completely related note, this may all come to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/revealed-gentlemens-agreement-kept-devastating-karmelo-anthony-evidence-court-evidence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backfire<\/a> against Anthony, anyhow.)<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Leaders, celebs, and corporations all avoid admitting mistakes, blaming others or circumstances instead<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2648304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-12-4.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[80408,9142,52999,44332,84541],"class_list":["post-2648303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-conviction-appeal","tag-defamation","tag-karmelo-anthony","tag-legal-dispute","tag-sports-litigation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-12-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2648303"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2648312,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648303\/revisions\/2648312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2648304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2648303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2648303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2648303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}