Karmelo Anthony threatened to ‘shoot the school up’ in shocking text kept from jury in Austin Metcalf murder trial

Karmelo Anthony talked about shooting up his school in a trove of disturbing texts that a backroom deal kept out of the courtroom during his June murder trial, prosecutors said on Friday.

“”imma shoot the school up tmr,” Anthony wrote in a 2023 text that prosecutors revealed in Collin County, Texas, during a hearing to determine if Austin Metcalf’s convicted killer will be granted a new trial, according to WFAA.

More threatening texts, reports of stalking by an ex-girlfriend, and Anthony’s violent tendencies were also apparently swept under the rug. But as part of what was described as a “gentleman’s agreement” between the defense and prosecution, skeletons in victim Austin Metcalf’s closet also weren’t brought up, including a juvenile criminal history involving racist graffiti, prosecutors said.

The deal was “keep things clean,” prosecutor Bill Wirskye said from the stand as Anthony’s new attorney Russell Wilson grilled him about the alleged “shadow docket” Wilson claims corrupted the June proceedings.

But that same agreement kept a mountain of shocking evidence from seeing the light of day, including texts from Anthony threatening violence and a photo of a knife sent to his ex-girlfriend — who told a vice principal that he was stalking her hours before the fatal stabbing, WFAA and other local outlets reported prosecutors saying.

None of that was shown to the jury in the June trial in which he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentence to 35 years in prison.

Anthony appealed the conviction and filed for a new trial. On Friday, Wilson grilled prosecutor Bill Wirskye and Anthony’s former attorneys about their 30-year relationship and unofficial dealings meant to, in Wirskye’s words, “keep things clean.”

Keeping things clean meant keeping the lid of Anthony’s long history of violent tendencies and threatening behavior, which apparently drove his parents to send him to a special program at LSU for kids with behavioral issues.

In exchange for prosecutors not using certain evidence against Anthony in court, the defense lawyers agreed not to bring up victim Austin Metcalf’s juvenile criminal history, which included spray-painted graffiti of an upside down cross, the N-word, “KKK,” “Kill all Black people,” and “Heil Hitler,” Houston Public Media reported.

Metcalf and his twin brother were sentenced to 12 months probation for that incident, and photos and video from Metcalf’s phone showed the use of more slurs and a “pervasive picture of a racist outlook,” HPM reported Howard as saying.

“I offered the agreement,” Wirskye said, according to WFAA-TV. “Let’s stay away from historical character and stick to the facts — what happened under the tent.”

The deal kept Anthony from taking the stand himself, argued Wilson.

Wirskye had accused defense attorney Mike Howard of breaking their deal when he brought up Anthony’s grades and chess hobby in opening arguments — which opened the door to questions about his personal life, should Anthony testify, Howard wrote in an affidavit obtained last month by the Dallas Morning News.

In a legal victory for Anthony, the judge who presided over his trial was removed from the appeal on Wednesday. Retired District Court Judge Michael Chitty was then assigned to consider the motion from Anthony’s attorneys asking for a retrial.

Anthony’s attorneys had asked for Judge John Roach to be removed in part because of a TV interview in which Roach said jurors “got it right” when they delivered a guilty verdict.

Wilson also argued that the June proceedings were marred by strict courtroom rules and improper jury instructions.

Several schools were competing at a track event when Anthony sat under the Memorial High School tent that was perched in the bleachers. Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.