Karmelo Anthony’s family begs donors for $250,000 to fund his appeal after killer's new trial request denied

The family of Karmelo Anthony is seeking an additional $250,000 in donations to help pay for his appeal after a Texas judge denied his request for a new trial.

A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Anthony has raised roughly $27,000 toward the appeal. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a 2025 track meet in Frisco.

According to the New York Post, a spokesperson for the family told reporters, “We understand that the pursuit of justice through the appellate system requires tremendous resources. This is why the legal fund has been established.”

Anthony’s family had previously raised more than $600,000 through a separate fundraiser, which was taken down after his conviction. GiveSendGo said in a statement afterward that the 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.”

Despite the substantial amount raised during his original trial, Anthony filed paperwork seeking court-appointed counsel days after his sentencing to represent him during his appeal. Anthony described himself as a "penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel” to represent him.

Anthony’s motion for a new trial was denied last month after his defense argued that he did not receive a fair trial. Among the arguments raised by his new defense team was an agreement between the original defense and prosecution that prevented both sides from presenting certain character evidence about Anthony and Metcalf. 

The excluded material reportedly included allegations that Metcalf had previously been accused of racist behavior, as well as allegations concerning Anthony’s history of stalking his ex-girlfriend and an obsession with knives and guns.