Fired CNN host Don Lemon is back again wringing his hands over convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony, and he wants you to feel sorry for the teenager who stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in the heart at a high school track meet.
A Texas judge on Saturday denied Anthony’s motion for a new trial, leaving his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence intact.
Anthony was convicted in June of murdering 17-year-old Austin during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, on April 2, 2025.
Austin died in the arms of his twin brother, Hunter.
But Lemon appears far more troubled by the consequences facing the convicted killer than by the permanent sentence Anthony imposed on Austin and his devastated family.
Lemon said:
“Breaking—and it is complicated, so make sure you pay attention. Karmelo Anthony is not getting a new trial, and after what came out in court last week, I have questions.
“We learned there was a private, off-the-record agreement to keep the troubled youths’ backgrounds—both teenagers—away from the jury.
“Austin Metcalf had allegations involving racial slurs, bullying, and assault. Karmelo had allegations involving threatening texts, stalking, and assault. None of that came in.
“And Karmelo’s former lawyer says that they had planned to put him on the stand, but all of this helped change that decision.
“So now the defense says the first trial was too controlled, too secretive, and unfair. The judge said no. Thirty-five years still stands.
“And I’m still stuck on one thing: He was 17. Seventeen years old. And now he could spend most of his life in prison. That is a hell of a sentence for a teenager.”
Hellbound and Down 