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A Texas judge denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial on Saturday, dealing a blow to the 19-year-old’s bid to overturn his murder conviction.

In June, a Collin county jury found Anthony guilty of fatally stabbing his classmate Austin Metcalf in 2025 at a track meet in Frisco, a suburb 28 miles (45km) north of Dallas. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Anthony’s defense attorneys have sought to have the case re-tried, accusing county prosecutors of violating an off-the-record agreement.

In court filings this summer, his legal team said they struck a bargain with the state to narrow the focus of the trial to the day of the track meet, excluding allegations that would raise questions about the moral character of both teenagers.

The deal, according to Anthony’s lawyers, was not mentioned in court filings to avoid evidence around alleged misdeeds from surfacing in media reports.

Defense attorneys said the state broke the deal at the 11th hour, leading Anthony to forgo taking the stand, as was originally planned. His testimony would have been central to their self-defense argument, they said. A county prosecutor denied the claim at the time, telling the Guardian the trial was conducted ethically.

The nature of the previously undisclosed evidence came to light this week at a court hearing. The state and defense attorneys presented evidence that Metcalf, who was white, had allegedly engaged in racist behavior, while Anthony had allegedly fantasized about violence, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Greg Willis, the Collin county district attorney, said in a Saturday statement he respected the court’s decision.

“The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing,” Willis said.

Lawyers for Anthony could not be immediately reached for comment.