The family of Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teenager convicted this week of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet, used the proceeds of a crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $634,000 to pay for relocation and basic living expenses — not solely for his legal defense, according to Fox News.
The “Help Karmelo Official Fund,” organized by Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, was posted on GiveSendGo on April 15, 2025 — less than two weeks after Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalf during a districtwide track meet in Frisco. The campaign had an initial goal of nearly $1.4 million before it was taken down following Anthony’s conviction Tuesday.
Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The day after the verdict, he filed a notice of appeal, and court documents obtained by WFAA state that he cannot afford a new attorney, describing himself as a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal.”
The fundraiser’s stated purpose, published on the GiveSendGo site before it was taken down, made clear the money would cover more than courtroom costs. The campaign page stated the funds would support “the safe relocation of the Anthony family due to escalating threats to their safety and well-being, as well as basic living costs, transportation, counseling, and other security measures.”
GiveSendGo said in a post on X that the campaign’s purpose was fulfilled.
“The fundraiser was created to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were dispersed over the past year for lawful purposes, including legal defense and family relocation with that stated purpose now complete the fundraiser has been closed,” the platform wrote. “Our policy is that a fundraiser stated purpose stays accurate so givers always know what they are supporting.”
Where the Anthony family has moved from their Frisco home remains unclear.
Even as the original campaign was removed, a new fundraising effort for the Anthony family reportedly emerged on GiveSendGo, this one started by Dominique Alexander, a Dallas-based civil rights activist who has served as the family’s spokesman throughout the case.
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