DALLAS — Karmelo Anthony on Wednesday filed a notice of appeal, a day after a Collin County jury convicted him of murdering Austin Metcalf and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

Anthony, 19, who was taken into custody Tuesday at the Collin County courthouse after the verdict was read in court, said in a court document he filed himself that he has no money and wants the judge to appoint him an appeals attorney, court documents show.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice took custody of Karmelo Anthony on Wednesday. After completing the intake process, which included a new booking photograph, Anthony was transported to the Pack Unit near Navasota, where he was assigned.
Anthony is a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,” the document states. It appears to be a form document originally prepared for use in Dallas County, but he scratched through and wrote in “Collin.”
“After the conclusion of the trial yesterday, we gave the court our official notice that Karmelo Anthony is filing an appeal,” said Mike Howard, who represented Anthony at trial. “We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American.”
In Texas, a guilty party has 30 days from the final sentencing hearing to file a notice of appeal. This informs the court that an appeal is coming and the defendant plans to proceed through the necessary steps.
Wednesday’s filing contains no information on what issues Anthony will raise on appeal. When, and if, a judge declares him indigent, his appellate lawyers will make arguments about mistakes they say occurred during the trial that could cause the conviction to be overturned.
Since the stabbing last year, Anthony’s family has raised money online for his defense, and it’s unclear how that money will factor into a decision on the young man’s indigency.
One appeal point likely to be raised eventually stems from a “Batson challenge” Anthony’s lawyers lodged during jury selection last week, when they objected to prosecutors striking three jurors allegedly because of their race. Prosecutors said they had other reasons for removing the jurors from the pool of potentials, and the judge agreed.
While some cases may be granted a bond while an appeal is processed, people convicted of murder are not eligible.
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