Karmelo Anthony Got 35 Years for Stabbing Austin Metcalf at a Texas Track Meet. He’s Now Asking Taxpayers to Fund His Appeal Because He’s ‘Too Poor to Employ Counsel.’

Karmelo Anthony’s family pulled in around $625,000 through a GiveSendGo campaign labeled for legal defense and “living expenses” before the page was taken down after his conviction.

One day later, the 19-year-old filed a pauper’s oath declaring himself “penniless, destitute, and indigent” and asked a Texas court to appoint a taxpayer-funded attorney for his appeal to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.

He was convicted of first-degree murder in June for stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in the chest at a Frisco ISD regional track meet on April 2, 2025. Witnesses said Anthony walked into a rival team’s tent during a rain delay, refused to leave, and told Metcalf, “Touch me and see what happens,” while reaching into a bag. Metcalf pushed him. Anthony pulled a knife banned at the event and stabbed him once.

The jury deliberated less than three hours before convicting him. He got 35 years and has already been moved to a Texas state prison.

It’s still unclear where the GiveSendGo money went. The family signaled early on that donations would cover expenses beyond attorney fees, and a separate fundraiser for the appeal may be on the way. The court will decide whether he qualifies for appointed counsel given the prior crowdfunding.

Metcalf’s family has called the 35-year sentence bittersweet.

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