Where Did the Money Go? Convicted Killer’s Family Demands Another $250K for Appeal — And Refuses to Answer Questions About Previous $634,000 Fundraiser

The family of Karmelo Anthony, the 19-year-old Texas teen convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in a 2025 high school track meet stabbing, is asking the public for another $250,000 to fund his appeal. The request comes just months after their first fundraiser collected nearly $634,000 — and questions remain about where that money went.

DALLAS – The parents of convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony are facing mounting scrutiny after announcing a new fundraising campaign to support their son's appeal, while refusing to explain how the previous $633,908 raised on his behalf was spent.

The new GiveSendGo campaign, titled the "Karmelo Anthony Legal Fund," has set a goal of $250,000 to cover legal expenses for the appeal, including court filings, transcripts, investigators and expert witnesses. Unlike the previous fundraiser, organizers say this money will be deposited directly into an attorney trust account administered by lead appellate lawyer Russell Wilson, and "Karmelo's family will not receive, control, or spend these funds".

A Previous Fundraiser with No Accountability

The original GiveSendGo campaign, launched in April 2025 by Anthony's mother Kayla Hayes, raised $633,908 before it was taken down following Anthony's June 2026 murder conviction. The campaign's stated purpose included legal defense costs, family relocation, basic living expenses, transportation, counseling and security.

But when NBC 5 reporter asked Dominique Alexander, a civil rights activist and spokesman for the Anthony family, what happened to the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, he declined to answer.

"We're not gonna comment on that. We don't know all of the information regarding those different fees," Alexander said during a press conference in Dallas on Wednesday.

When pressed by a Fox News Digital reporter about whether the donations were used to purchase a house or a car for the family, Alexander dismissed the questions as "deliberate lies" and said the family had been relocated due to safety threats.

The family's refusal to provide a public accounting of the $634,000 has sparked widespread criticism, particularly since Anthony described himself in court filings as "penniless, destitute, and indigent, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal".

A $900,000 Home and a Family Relocation

The Daily Mail previously reported that Anthony's family relocated to a $900,000 home in an exclusive neighborhood after allegedly receiving threats at their former residence following the stabbing. GiveSendGo had confirmed that funds from the original campaign were used for lawful purposes, including legal defense and family relocation.

The Crime That Shocked America

Karmelo Anthony, who was 17 at the time, was convicted in June 2026 of the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

According to trial testimony, Anthony had refused repeated requests to leave the rival team's tent, reached into his bag, warned "Touch me and see what happens," and then stabbed Metcalf in the chest. The victim died in his twin brother's arms.

The jury rejected Anthony's self-defense claim and convicted him of murder after less than three hours of deliberation. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The Appeal Process

A judge has already denied Anthony's motion for a new trial, but his new six-lawyer legal team is pressing forward with an appeal that could stretch into 2027. The trial record is expected to be assembled in October, after which both sides will present written arguments to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

As the Anthony family asks the public for another quarter-million dollars, the unanswered question of what happened to the original $634,000 continues to haunt the campaign. The family's refusal to explain how those funds were spent — even as they seek more donations — has left donors and critics alike wondering: Where did the money go?