Karmelo Anthony had planned to testify at his Texas murder trial over the fatal stabbing at a high school track meet but ultimately decided against it after concerns emerged that prosecutors could introduce potentially damaging evidence about his past, one of his attorneys said Friday.
Anthony, 19, is seeking a new trial after a jury in June sentenced him to 35 years in prison for killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a student at a rival school who was stabbed during a confrontation at a track competition last year. The case has since heightened racial tensions, with both families becoming targets of harrassment.
