Texas – “Karmelo Anthony was a violent criminal who killed Austin Metcalf in cold blood. James Talarico sides with a murderer,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote on X as he attacked Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico over comments he made about Anthony’s murder conviction.
Paxton’s remarks came after Talarico discussed the Anthony case during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, where he questioned the fairness of the justice system and pointed to the racial makeup of the jury that convicted Anthony, according to the New York Post.
Anthony, a Black teenager, was convicted of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet. A jury rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim, and he was sentenced to 35 years in prison. His attorneys are now seeking a new trial, AP News reported.
During the podcast discussion, Talarico was asked about his earlier description of the case as a tragedy. He said he had worked extensively on justice reform in the Texas Legislature and argued that the state’s justice system does not serve all Americans equally.
Talarico acknowledged that he was not an expert on the specific case, but then focused on the composition of Anthony’s jury.
“I know that there were no black members of the jury,” Talarico said during the discussion.
“To me, that’s the only evidence you need to really prove that this system is not working for black Texans,” he added.
His comments quickly became a target for Republican criticism, with opponents arguing that Talarico was questioning the legitimacy of Anthony’s conviction because there were no Black jurors. The controversy emerged as Anthony’s legal team was pursuing a new trial and a judge was considering arguments concerning the fairness of his original proceedings.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Anthony’s attorneys have challenged the conviction in part by arguing that the jury contained no Black members. According to the report, prosecutors were allowed to strike all three Black jurors in the jury pool.
aThe issue of jury composition has therefore become part of the broader legal dispute surrounding Anthony’s conviction, although Talarico’s comments went beyond simply describing the makeup of the jury. He presented the absence of Black jurors as evidence of broader problems within the criminal justice system affecting Black Texans.
Paxton sharply rejected that argument.
In his post, Paxton characterized Anthony as a “violent criminal” and accused Talarico of siding with him. The Republican attorney general has made the Anthony case part of his criticism of Talarico as the two prepare for a high-profile U.S. Senate race in Texas.
Other Republicans have also attacked Talarico over the comments. U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill posted that Talarico was siding with Anthony and highlighted the Democrat’s statement about the lack of Black jurors.
The controversy comes as Anthony’s request for a new trial is receiving renewed attention in court. The Associated Press reported that Anthony’s lawyers argue that an agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys to keep certain racially charged evidence away from jurors affected the fairness of the trial. Prosecutors have maintained that Anthony was the aggressor and that the original trial was fair.
The case has also become increasingly political as Talarico and Paxton campaign against each other for the Texas Senate seat. Recent reporting has described the race as highly competitive, with the two candidates facing off over a wide range of issues.
For Talarico, his remarks about Anthony have opened another line of attack for Republicans, who argue that he is questioning a murder conviction rather than accepting the jury’s decision. Talarico, meanwhile, framed his comments around what he described as longstanding racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Paxton’s post did not address Talarico’s broader comments about justice reform or explain the details of the jury-selection process. Instead, he focused on Talarico’s conclusion that the lack of Black jurors was evidence that the system was failing Black Texans and portrayed that position as support for Anthony.
The renewed dispute comes while Anthony remains convicted and sentenced to 35 years, while his legal team continues seeking a new trial.
