By Bodey Cooper
new@kaufmanherald.com

A retired former Kaufman County Judge has been chosen to oversee the appeal of Karmelo Anthony as he attempts to overturn his recent murder conviction.
Visiting Judge Sid Harle recused Collin County District Judge John Roach, who oversaw Anthony’s murder trial in June 2026.
Retired District Judge Michael Chitty was chosen on Wednesday, Aug. 19 to oversee Anthony’s appeal as his legal team motions for a new trial after his murder conviction two months ago.
Chitty is a senior district judge who spent nearly 17 years presiding over Kaufman County’s 422nd District Court. Then-Governor Rick Perry appointed Chitty in Jan. 2004 as the first judge of the newly created court, and Chitty remained on the bench until retiring at the end of 2020.
Before he was a judge, Chitty was a Terrell attorney that spent around three decades in private practice handling criminal, civil, family and other cases. Chitty also helped establish the 422nde District Court as a mental health and drug diversion court. He also served in a leadership role with the Texas Association of Specialty Courts. Although he retired from his elected judgeship in 2020, state records list Chitty as a senior judge available to return to the bench on assignment.
As he prepares to handle Anthony’s case, Chitty is no stranger to his involvement in high-profile cases. Chitty prosecuted former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams for stealing county computer monitors back in 2012. Williams was convicted by a jury, costing him his elected position and his law license.
Former Kaufman County prosecutors Mark Hasse and Mike McLelland sought prison time for Williams, but Chitty sentenced him to probation. Authorities believe his prosecution and conviction are what drove Williams to murder Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse in Jan. 2013 before killing District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia just two months later.
Chitty recused himself from Williams’ murder trial since he had presided over his previous trial and conviction and was likely to be called as a witness. Williams’s wife was sentenced to 40 years in prison for her role in the murders and Williams was later convicted and sentenced to death.
The lawyers appointed to prosecute Eric Williams were Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook. More connections came together down the road as Wirskye would later become the lead Collin County prosecutor in the Karmelo Anthony trial, and Shook would be one of Anthony’s defense lawyers.
A motion for a new trial for Anthony that was scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20 was cancelled. It is unclear as of press time when or if the hearing will take place.