Although the family of Karmelo Anthony brought in more than $600,000 in a fundraising pitch after the now-convicted killer was charged with murder, Anthony now says he is broke.
Anthony filed to have taxpayers foot the bill for the appeal of his murder conviction and 35-year sentence, according to Fox News.
Days after he was sentenced for stabbing Austin Metcalf in April 2025, when the killer and victim were each 17, Anthony filed the forms demanding someone else pay for his appeal.
In the filing he said he was “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal.”
So essentially they took advantage of all of the people who donated to him, I doubt they will get in trouble. I wonder if the roles ×were reversed would the same people donate.
Karmelo Anthony claims he’s penniless as business records tied to parents draw scrutiny #Louisiana…— kim cox (@kimberwolf32) June 17, 2026
A GiveSendGo campaign raised $633,908. It was removed after Anthony’s conviction.
Organizers said the fundraiser was designed to help the family cope after the black teen was charged with murder.
“We are grateful for your support during this incredibly difficult time for Karmelo Anthony and his family,” organizers wrote.
Nice parents. Spend all the money raised for a good defense attorney on a house instead. https://t.co/K0XOsWVM3P
— Allecal (@caldarone_al) June 17, 2026
“This fundraiser has been established to provide comprehensive assistance to the Anthony family as they navigate the many challenges surrounding Karmelo’s case,” it said.
Anthony has already been assigned court-appointed attorney Donny Perales of McKinney, Texas, according to Texas Metro News.
Mike Howard and Toby Shook represented Anthony at the trial.
The convicted murderer’s attorneys were not given any praise when Anthony’s parents spoke to the media recently.
Media personality Mimi Brown — a fixture on the black-oriented radio program “The Breakfast Club” — spoke to Anthony’s parents, Kayla Hayes and Andrew Anthony, during a recent interview.
At one point, she asked the two, “So, do you believe your son received a fair trial?”
Both replied “absolutely not,” and Hayes promised to “keep fighting.” Brown also asked if the two would have done anything differently.
Andrew Anthony replied, “I wish I would have just been rebellious. I was told, ‘Don’t talk to this person.’ ‘Don’t talk to this person.’ I feel like it was just a set-up. So, they told us, go get white attorneys. Every black person I went to, ‘white attorney.’”
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