(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The parents of convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony launched a media campaign last week attacking the criminal justice system, claiming they were “delusional” to expect a fair trial.

One stop on the media tour was CBS News, where Andrew Anthony and Kala Hayes suggested on June 10 that their son’s guilty verdict had been predetermined.

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a Texas jury convicted him of murdering 17-year-old track star Austin Metcalf in April 2025.

“To have mercy on my son. That’s what I told the jury. I know they had their minds made up already; there really wasn’t much I could say to change their minds,” Hayes claimed.

Her husband echoed the sentiment.

“We were delusional. We thought we were going to get a fair shake,” Andrew added.

The couple also attacked the trial witnesses, whose testimony largely contradicted Anthony’s claim that he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense.

“Everyone lied on the stand,” Hayes said, without identifying what specific testimony she believed was false. “All of the witnesses’ statements were inconsistent. All of them.”

Andrew similarly argued that his son had been judged long before the verdict.

“If you look at the news, he was already convicted. It was already done. There was no ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ he was already guilty,” he said.

"What stuck out to me…number one was the all-white jury…The truth is on our side."

Kala Hayes and Andrew Anthony, the parents of convicted teen Karmelo Anthony, express heartbreak over the final ruling. pic.twitter.com/4bnCY6yGw0

— Just the News (@JustTheNews) June 11, 2026

Anthony’s conviction has puzzlingly become a flashpoint in broader debates over race and criminal justice.

Some left-wing activists are using Anthony’s prosecution to claim that the criminal justice system is biased against black defendants, despite the jury’s verdict and the evidence presented at trial.

Yet the family’s complaints and those of the activists stand in contrast to what critics described as a relatively lenient sentence.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said Anthony faced a maximum sentence of 99 years or life in prison after being convicted of murder.

Anthony’s attorneys attempted to persuade jurors that he stabbed Metcalf in self-defense and under “sudden passion” after allegedly being assaulted by Metcalf.

The sentencing window would have been capped at 20 years had the jury accepted that defense. However, jurors ultimately rejected the defense after witness testimony failed to corroborate Anthony’s account of the confrontation.

Anthony has vowed to appeal his conviction.