NEW: Karmelo Anthony Begs For More Money After Family Blew Through Massive Fundraising Haul

The family of Karmelo Anthony has launched a new crowdfunding campaign seeking $250,000 to cover costs associated with appealing his murder conviction. The effort was announced at a news conference held at a church in southeast Dallas, just days after a judge denied his request for a new trial.

Anthony, 19, was convicted in June 2026 of murder in the April 2, 2025, stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. A Collin County jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

After the verdict, Anthony filed a notice of appeal and requested court-appointed counsel, describing himself in court papers as a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal.” Another attorney has since joined the appellate team. The trial record is expected to be assembled in October, with written arguments and a possible hearing to follow at the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.

The new GiveSendGo page, titled the Karmelo Anthony Official Legal Appeal Fund, was created by Trinicia Ricks. Donations are directed into an attorney trust account administered by lead attorney Russell Wilson.

The campaign states that Anthony’s family will not receive, control, or spend the money and that funds will be used solely for legal expenses, including briefs and filings, transcripts, investigators, expert witnesses, and other litigation costs. As of this report the page listed a $250,000 goal and approximately $33,000 raised.

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UPDATE: The Anthony family has now opened a THIRD fundraiser.

The latest fundraiser comes after more than a year of fundraising efforts connected to the Karmelo Anthony case.

On April 6, 2025, the fundraising goal was $100,000. That goal was later increased to $300,000, and… pic.twitter.com/MaZKwUwZJL

— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) September 5, 2026

The latest request follows an earlier GiveSendGo campaign organized by Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, that launched on April 15, 2025, less than two weeks after Metcalf’s death. That page, titled “Help Karmelo Official Fund,” set a goal of nearly $1.4 million and raised $633,908 before GiveSendGo removed it from public view after the conviction.

Organizers stated that while legal defense was a priority, the funds were not limited to courtroom costs. The page said donations would also support “the safe relocation of the Anthony family due to escalating threats to their safety and well-being, as well as basic living costs, transportation, counseling, and other security measures.”

GiveSendGo later said the campaign had been created to support pre-trial needs and that the money was disbursed over the following year for lawful purposes, including legal defense and family relocation. With that purpose complete, the platform closed the page. Anthony’s attorneys have said initial defense costs alone exceeded $300,000.

Family spokesman Dominique Alexander stated the original fund helped “relocate the family” and described some public questions about spending as inaccurate. When asked at a September news conference for a detailed accounting of remaining funds or specific fees, Alexander declined to provide one.

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