The Texas judge overseeing Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial defended his decision to bar cameras from his Collin County courtroom, saying his job was to ensure a fair trial—not to make people happy. In an interview with local outlet WFAA, Judge John Roach, known for his no-nonsense and straightforward approach, said he spent months preparing for the high-profile trial that captivated attention across the country. “I know I made people mad, but I’m not here to make them happy either,” he told WFAA. He defended one of his most controversial decisions of the trial: banning cameras from the courtroom.  “Yes, it was an easy decision. 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,” Roach said. “I had to do a balance between the media’s right to know and to be able to report what’s going on, because I think that’s extraordinarily important. I think it’s important that the general public had access to the courtroom, and to see what was going on.” Roach also shot down claims he had a personal relationship with the Metcalf family.  “I wouldn’t know Mr. Metcalf prior to this trial if he walked up to me and said ‘hello,” he said. On Tuesday, a Texas jury convicted the 19-year-old of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 35 years behind bars for fatally stabbing Austin Metcalf at a track event in April 2025 in Frisco, Texas.  Judge Roach said the jury got it right.  “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.  Karmelo’s murder conviction ended a legal saga but provided fresh ammunition for the Anthony family to blame their son’s conviction on racism and hurl accusations at the jury.   In an interview with CBS Texas, Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes, rejected the panel’s conclusion that her son intended to kill Metcalf. “My son is no murderer. My son didn’t intend to hurt anyone,” Hayes said. “My son was defending himself, and that’s what hurts so bad.” Jeff Metcalf, the father of Austin Metcalf, blasted Karmelo Anthony’s parents as “cowards,” accusing them of making the high-profile murder case about race. “Drew Anthony. Kayla. You’re cowards. You wouldn’t even show up for your son’s sentencing or victim’s statement impacts. You abandoned your kid. You left him there. I guess he’s no more use to you because you can’t get any more GoFundMe money or [GiveSendGo] money. You are grifters. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Metcald said. “You raised that child, and I swear to God, CPS should come check on those other three that you still have,” he added. The Daily Wire previously reported that Anthony’s family raised more than $635,000 through a crowdfunding campaign during the murder trial. One day after a jury sentenced him to prison, Anthony filed a notice of appeal. The filing begins the formal process of challenging both his conviction and sentence, which can take years to progress through the courts and does not guarantee a new trial. Anthony was transferred to a state prison near Navasota, Texas. His intake photo shows his head shaved as he begins his 35-year sentence. “He seems like a nice young man who committed a crime, and he understands today more than any day before the consequences of committing a crime like he did,” Judge Roach said of the convicted killer.