Karmelo Anthony Whines From Prison About Something He No Longer Has To Worry About

Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony claims he is broke and cannot afford a lawyer despite his family raising more than $635,000 through a crowdfunding campaign for his legal defense. 

Anthony, 19, who was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years behind bars for murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, requested a court-appointed appellate attorney on Wednesday, according to new filings reported by WFAA.

The filing says Anthony is a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,” according to WFAA.  

Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a Texas jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025.

In the days that followed, the stabbing drew national attention. Anthony’s family launched a fundraiser on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding platform that allows fundraising campaigns connected to criminal cases.

The now-deleted fundraising page complained that it’s been a “challenging and difficult time” for Anthony’s family and claimed that “the narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful.” A similar fundraiser was taken down by GoFundMe because campaigns raising money for murder suspects violate the platform’s terms of service, The Daily Wire previously reported. 

Following Anthony’s conviction, GiveSendGo said it had closed the fundraiser.

“The fundraiser was supported to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were disbursed over the last year,” the company said in a statement. “With that stated purpose now complete, the fundraiser has been closed.”

The Daily Wire, however, accessed the page on Thursday and found that it was back online with donations continuing to pour in before it was yanked down again later in the day. Screenshots show the fundraiser, created by Anthony’s mother, Kayla Hayes, had raised more than $635,000, with anonymous donors continuing to contribute.

GiveSendGo did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment. The platform’s previous statement did not address how much money Anthony’s family received. 

On Wednesday, Anthony filed notice of appeal, one day after he was sentenced. The filing begins the formal process of challenging both his conviction and sentence, which can take years to progress through the courts and does not guarantee a new trial.

“After the conclusion of the trial yesterday, we gave the court our official notice that Karmelo Anthony is filing an appeal,” Anthony’s defense lawyer, Mike Howard, said. “We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American.”

One day after the guilty verdict, Anthony was transferred to a state prison near Navasota, Texas. His intake photo shows his head shaved as he begins his 35-year sentence.

Breaking: Karmelo Anthony has been transferred to the Pack Unit in Navasota by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Here is his prison mug shot. pic.twitter.com/cm14aycoHI

— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) June 10, 2026