Karmelo Anthony’s Family Wants $250K From Fans to Fund Murder Conviction Appeal

The family of Karmelo Anthony is continuing its fight to overturn his conviction in the fatal stabbing of Texas high school student Austin Metcalf.

According to a New York Post report published on Wednesday, September 2, Karmelo’s family is asking supporters to help raise $250,000 to fund an appeal after a Texas judge denied the 19-year-old’s request for a new trial. A new GiveSendGo fundraiser has already collected $27,000 toward the legal effort.

Karmelo was sentenced to 35 years in prison in June for the fatal stabbing of Metcalf, 17, during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. The family’s latest fundraising push comes after a Collin County judge denied Karmelo’s motion for a new trial in August.

“We understand that the pursuit of justice through the appellate system requires tremendous resources. This is why the legal fund has been established,” family spokesperson Dominique Alexander said, per the report.

The hearing revealed evidence that had not been presented to the jury because of an agreement between prosecutors and the defense, according to the article. Attorneys claimed Karmelo had a history of violent and threatening text messages and that his ex-girlfriend had reported that he was stalking her shortly before Metcalf’s death. In exchange for prosecutors keeping that evidence out of the trial, the defense agreed not to bring up Metcalf’s criminal record stemming from racist graffiti that he and two others allegedly spray-painted, per the report.

Karmelo’s attorneys argued that information revealed during the hearing supported their contention that he did not receive a fair trial. “So much evidence came out. That evidence showed not only this family but the entire world that he did not receive a fair trial,” Anthony’s co-counsel Sean Daredia told reporters, the New York Post reported.

His father, Andrew Anthony, also thanked those who have continued to support his son. “We want to thank everybody, from the internet family to our personal family,” he said, according to the outlet, after referring to supporters as “angels around here.”

“This fundraiser was created to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were disbursed over the past year for lawful purposes including legal defense and family relocation,” the GiveSendGo organization said in a statement, per the report.

The $250,000 appeal fund follows an earlier GiveSendGo campaign that raised more than $600,000 for Karmelo and his family before being taken down the day after his conviction, Globe previously reported.