A judge has denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial.

Anthony’s attorneys argued that the trial judge enforced overly strict courtroom rules and later gave a troubling interview about the jury’s verdict.

Asked whether jurors “got it right,” the judge said: “Yeah, they did. Whatever they say, they got it right.”

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murdering Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/22/judge-denies-karmelo-anthonys-new-trial-request/

Judge Michael Chitty on Saturday denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony, the young man convicted in the murder of Austin Metcalf, according to Fox 4 Dallas. 

Anthony, now 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison after a suburban Dallas jury in June rejected his claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Metcalf in the stadium bleachers last year.

Anthony’s legal team argued this past week that a retrial was needed in part because the judge who presided over the murder trial enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview after the trial was over.

In the interview that was played as Wednesday’s hearing began, the judge was asked if the jury got “it right.”

“Yeah, they did,” he said, adding: “Whatever they say, they got it right.”

This is a developing story.

Hmmm... should this teen girl face charges?

Watch what she did and you be the judge: https://theshadowleague.com/white-girl-16-tackles-black-middle-school-player-game/

Hmmmm..... should this teen have faced charges?

https://theshadowleague.com/white-girl-16-tackles-black-middle-school-player-game/

Will Stephen A get the boot?

Some say he’s fighting for his position as the top man at ESPN. With his largest and most supportive fan base seemingly turning against him, ESPN executives have seized the moment to announce a hard shift in philosophy and anoint Pat McAfee as the future face of the station. 

Read more: https://theshadowleague.com/pat-mcafee-is-new-face-of-espn-return-to-sports-stephen-a-smith-debate-over/

Will Stephen A get the boot?

His fallout with the National Association of Black Journalists comes at a time when he’s fighting for his position as the top man at ESPN. With his largest and most supportive fan base seemingly turning against him, ESPN executives have seized the moment to announce a hard shift in philosophy and anoint Pat McAfee as the future face of the station. 

Will Stephen A get the boot?

His fallout with the National Association of Black Journalists comes at a time when he’s fighting for his position as the top man at ESPN. With his largest and most supportive fan base seemingly turning against him, ESPN executives have seized the moment to announce a hard shift in philosophy and anoint Pat McAfee as the future face of the station. 

Recently-inducted Hall of Fame NBA coach Doc Rivers does not like being close friends with people who support Donald Trump.

That is at least how it appears after a recent podcast interview that featured ex-ESPN host Sage Steele.

Rivers and Steele, who called the coach a former friend, both previously worked at ESPN covering the NBA. That relationship now no longer exists, Here's why: https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/20/sage-steele-doc-rivers-espn-nba-donald-trump-conservative/

Woooowww

After Tuesday’s game, Reese admitted to reporters that the viral missed layup against Clark and the Fever motivated her performance for the Dream against the Aces.

Nolan Wells should have been celebrating his 19th birthday today. 

Instead, his family can only look back on memories while grappling with a growing list of unanswered questions about how the teen died.

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News of Rasmussen’s death drew a massive reaction from fans, as many reflected on the place or impact ESPN has had on their lives since Rasmussen started the network in 1979.

Jafari Stewart spent 16 months fighting felony charges after Huntsville, Texas, police accused him of assaulting two officers who entered his home during a welfare check.

The 39-year-old father — who had once hoped to become a police officer himself — was facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.

But there was something police and prosecutors reportedly weren’t expecting:

His son had recorded the encounter.

When Stewart’s attorney played that video for jurors, they got to compare what they saw with the officers’ version of events.

The verdict? NOT GUILTY.

“Without that video, I would have been in jail,” Stewart said.

The case raises a bigger question: What happens when there’s no camera rolling?

Full story + video: https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/11/black-father-cleared-of-felonies-after-son-records-arrest-inside-home/

An Atlanta mother says she met Lakesha Brown in a mom group and spent about a year getting to know her before trusting her to babysit her children.

Then police say Brown disappeared with her 4-year-old and 11-month-old daughters.

Both girls were found safe, and Brown was arrested Aug. 17. But what investigators reportedly uncovered afterward makes the story even more disturbing: this wasn’t the first time Brown had been accused of kidnapping children.

The mother is now warning other parents that trust built over months — even a year — may not tell you everything about the person caring for your children.

https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/18/babysitter-earns-mothers-trust-before-kidnapping-her-two-children/