The Texas judge who presided over Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial described him as a “nice young man,” but stood firmly behind the jury’s stiff prison sentence in the high-profile case.

Veteran Judge John Roach Jr. drew frequent criticism throughout Anthony’s trial. Some accused him of censoring the press through his ban on cameras in the courtroom, while others theorized that he had a personal relationship with the family of slain high school football jock Austin Metcalf.

Judge John Roach Jr., wearing a black judicial robe and red tie, stands with arms crossed.
Judge John Roach Jr. agreed with the jury’s conviction and sentence for Karmelo Anthony.Judge John Roach Jr.
Metcalf, 17, was fatally stabbed by Anthony, now 19, who also played high school football, during a dispute over seating at a track and field meet in Frisco on April 2, 2025.

The murder case went viral as the as heightened tensions escalated over race, with some trying to paint Metcalf, who was white, as a bully who targeted Anthony, who was black.

Anthony’s defense claimed self-defense, but the teen didn’t take the stand during the trial.

A man with a shaved head and a light-colored sleeveless shirt looks directly at the viewer.
Anthony, now 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for first-degree murder.Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice
Roach told WFAA Thursday that he tuned out most of the external noise.

“As long as I follow the law, I sleep well at night,” he admitted.

The jury, which didn’t feature a single black member, also came under fire for the 35-year prison sentence it doled out to Anthony.

Jurors rejected a proposed “sudden passion” argument that would’ve downgraded his verdict from first-degree to second-degree murder and shrunk his steep punishment to a maximum of 20 years.

Headshot of Austin Metcalf Junior.
Anthony fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf, 17.Meghan Prall Metcalf/Facebook
Roach told the outlet, however, that the jury reached the correct verdict.

“Yes they did because they were picked based upon the law, they listened to the facts, it happened in this courtroom, and they got a verdict,” he said.

Still, Roach thought Anthony seemed “like a nice young man” who now has a better understanding of “the consequences of committing a crime like he did.”

Aerial view of a stadium with two tents on bleachers next to a running track.
Anthony and Metcalf got into a spat over seating at a track and field meet in Frisco, Texas.Fox4
A devastated Anthony burst into tears when the jury read the guilty verdict on Tuesday. And he kept his head down when Metcalf’s distraught family addressed him during his sentencing later that evening.

He only raised his head when Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, asked him to.

The only visual snapshots from the trial were all captured by courtroom illustrators on account of Roach’s camera ban. The no-nonsense judge said the move was another “easy decision.”

Illustration of a courtroom with three people watching a screen displaying a track field, and a judge sitting on the right.
Roach banned cameras from his courtroom during the high-profile murder trial.AP
“I’ll tell you why, my primary goal in every case is to make sure the defendant and the prosecution get a fair trial. Period,” he told WFAA. “

I know I made people mad but I’m not here to make them happy either.”

Roach’s term expires in six months, making the national case the last major trial he’ll likely preside over.

He previously handled the high-profile murder case against Brandon McCall, who was sentenced to death in 2020 after a jury convicted him of killing cop David Sherrard.

Anthony filed a notice to appeal his conviction on Wednesday.