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House Democrats are raising concerns about how racial and juror selection may affect the decision in Carmelo Anthony’s case, with many saying the decision highlights the racism they believe exists in the criminal justice system.
“Traumatic, two lives were ruined, and what affected me the most was that you had a white judge,” said Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, when asked what he thought of the guilty verdict. “He has prior strikes that have been used to win over a white judge.”
After Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday for stabbing and killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school party, many activists and Democratic lawmakers called the case unfair and racist.
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Many say the jurors were all white, and this contributed to the denial of Anthony’s plea for immunity.
“Judges are supposed to represent the diversity of the country, and if a white child is convicted of murder and it was a black judge who committed the crime, people can say that this is wrong,” said Menefee. “So why should it be fair if it’s the other way around?”
But sources close to the case told Fox News Digital that three of the jurors were ethnic minorities. They said that out of the 18 in total, including those who changed, six were minors. Additionally, four black men testified in Metcalf’s defense, saying Anthony was not offended in any way to justify stabbing the 17-year-old.
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Anthony’s supporters say he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense, saying he did not receive a fair trial. Other activists and Democratic lawmakers called for a retrial and urged Anthony to pursue an appeal.
“Here’s a case where a young man appears to be under attack and defending himself,” Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said of the case.
“It brings to light the inequity in our justice system, as it relates to African Americans and people of color,” Carter continued. “And that’s a shame. So hopefully there will be an opportunity for some appeals and more negotiations.”
“Case after case, after case you see that when it’s a young black person, they’re not allowed to be afraid, they’re not allowed to defend themselves, they’re not getting the same normal opportunities that other people get,” Menefee said. “But other races do.”
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Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, was among several House Democrats who expressed concern about race selection and jury selection following Carmelo Anthony’s guilty verdict in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images; Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
Other lawmakers were less likely to accuse the trial outright of being racially unfair, but they still sympathized with Anthony and were not openly opposed to the idea of looking more closely at the evidence in the case despite the verdict already being made.
“We have to stop this loss and the killing of these young children, number one,” said Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill.,. “First of all, they must open it and all the evidence must appear.
“I think it’s a bad situation all the time,” said Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala.,
He continued, “You’ve got one young man who was killed. His family will never have him again. You’ve got another young man who, for all intents and purposes, threw away years of his life. Years of this life. If he makes it 35 years, he’ll be 50 – in his 50s – when he gets out. And it’s just completely unfortunate.”
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For all their criticism of the decision, many lawyers framed the case as part of a larger debate about race, self-defense claims and the equal treatment of minorities under the law.
“The American justice system does not work equally for everyone,” Menefee said.
