This Karmelo Anthony story has taken another turn, and it doesn’t reflect favorably on the family of the teenager who stands accused of murder after stabbing a football player from a rival school, Austin Metcalf, in what Anthony says was self-defense.
This story quickly broke down along racial lines, with Black and white people flooding on-line fundraisers for both families with donations and support. Those well-wishers of Austin Metcalf, the white teen who is the alleged victim in the case want Anthony prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Those who filled Anthony’s family crowdsourcing platform GiveSendGo with more than $515K wanted to ensure that the family had the proper resources to ensure a fair trial and that Anthony did not fall victim to any systemic or racial pitfalls, as he maintains he was touched first, scared and reacted out of self-defense.
Anthony had thousands of people in his corner despite the tragedy, but that sentiment seems to be changing as the Anthony family reached out with another fundraiser, claiming to not have any money left to continue Anthony’s legal defense.
The campaign never reached $600K, but it appears the family is in need of more money. It’s no secret that the family has admitted to needing to buy a new home and relocate for safety reasons. They also hired a team to manage their security, press, aid with the move, legal representation and other costs.
Anthony, now 18-year-old and a high school graduate, is accused of fatally shooting Austin Metcalf during an altercation at a Frisco ISD track meet in early April. Anthony was indicted for murder by a Collin County grand jury on Tuesday. The former honor student and football captain is facing a first-degree murder charge and has been on house arrest since being released on a reduced bond.
Social Media Reacts To Reports Karmelo Anthony’s Family Blew $540K Donations
Without full clarity, some of Anthony’s supporters are agreeing that his parents might have blown through the money, and some are even demanding to have their money back. As the Karmelo Anthony trial revs up into another gear, he could be losing the national sympathy that made him the center of media attention.
“They chipped in money to a black murderer solely because he murdered a white guy. I’m glad they got scammed. They deserve it,” one person said.
“I mean, let’s be honest. That money would’ve been wasted on lawyers. Karmelo Anthony is going to prison. Doesn’t matter if he’s got a public defender or OJ’s Dream Team. Probably better to buy a house and an Escalade,” a second person added.
“Well, I mean, what did they expect? They exploited their son’s crime for their own benefit, exactly as people predicted,” a third netizen wrote.
“What did they think was going to happen? And why are they feeding money to a kid that clearly committed murder?” a fourth person said of Karmelo Anthony.
“After Anthony is convicted, Metcalf’s family attorney can attach liens on all the property and money they have grifted just like OJ,” a final person commented.
“The family knows he’s guilty and he’s going away so they’re just trying to grab as much money out of it as they possibly can,” said a second.
Anthony still had his share of defenders who won’t believe everything they read in the blogs.
“Yall gave a racist meth head half a million dollars for calling a child the n-word. Cope,” said another netizen referring to several instances of white people getting financial support for inflicting criminal pain against people of color.
Anthony Family Needs $1.4M More In Donations
The Anthonys are asking for the $1.4 million so they can seek safe relocation following death threats, as well as for legal expenses, security equipment, counseling, legal counsel, and a team of investigators.
“So today, we humbly ask: Please consider making another contribution to the fund for Karmelo,” his dad Drew wrote in a Facebook post.
With rumors swirling about new homes and cars and then statements refuting stories about the use of the money, people are now confused, and maybe that was the objective of certain media outlets. Reports say the Anthony’s have always had some money and lived in a plush gated community prior to receiving any donations.
Some people are still choosing to automatically believe the Anthony family is up to no good.
“There’s a good chance that he is going to run. And they might be using the money to set him up somewhere outside the US,” said one netizen, leery of the Anthony family’s motives.
Karmelo Anthony’s mother, Kaya Hayes, had previously denied using the donations on a new house and car. All of this and the trial didn’t even begin yet.
