An online fundraiser that was set up on behalf of Karmelo Anthony has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the alleged murderer’s father shared some information this week about how the family plans to use the money.
Anthony was arrested on April 2 and charged with first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas. Anthony and Metcalf were among over 100 athletes gathered at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco for a District 11-5A Championship track meet. Teams were gathering under tents as they awaited the start of the meet when an altercation developed between Metcalf and Anthony.
Anthony, a 17-year-old who attends Centennial High School, allegedly was standing under Memorial’s tent. Metcalf confronted Anthony and told him to move. Anthony allegedly challenged Metcalf back, and Metcalf allegedly responded by grabbing Anthony. Anthony then allegedly took out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.
On Monday, Anthony was released from jail after a judge in Collin County, Texas, reduced his bond from $1 million to $250,000. Anthony will be required to wear an ankle monitor and will need permission in order to leave home, according to WFAA 8’s Rachel Behrndt.
In asking for the bond to not be reduced, Collin County Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye argued that the Anthony family has raised enough money from the GiveSendGo fundraiser bearing Karmelo’s name. The fund had raised well over $400,000 at the time of Monday’s hearing.
Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, testified that the family does not currently have access to the fundraiser money. He also said he is the sole provider for his family and that he, his wife and their four children have been forced to move homes due to safety concerns. Andrew told the court that the money from the fundraiser will be needed to cover the costs associated with moving and security for his family.
Several GoFundMe campaigns were also started on Anthony’s behalf, but those were deleted due to the platform’s terms of service. GoFundMe prohibits “fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.” Any GoFundMe donations that were made were returned to the donors.
Many have argued that the GiveSendGo campaign should also be removed, but one of the co-founder’s of the platform recently defended the decision to keep the fundraiser active.
