Karmelo Anthony Sentenced to 35 Years. Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt Breaks Down What Comes Next

The sentencing of 17-year-old Carmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison—three times the sentence given to a white officer convicted of killing a Black teenager—exposes deep racial and systemic inequities in Texas's justice system, according to civil rights attorney Lee Merritt. He argues the trial was shaped by racialized public sentiment, a racially skewed jury, and a defense that failed to humanize Carmelo or effectively argue self-defense. Despite Carmelo being an honor roll student with no criminal record, the prosecution pursued a murder one charge despite evidence of initial aggression by the victim. Merritt calls the outcome a direct result of a 'black box' trial with no cameras, limited public scrutiny, and a defense that offered only one character witness. The sentence, he notes, is more severe than those for white officers convicted of killing Black victims in the same jurisdiction, underscoring a pattern of racial imbalance. The case, he warns, doesn't reflect progress in racial justice but instead fuels white supremacist rhetoric and radicalizes communities on both sides.