Fundraiser for Track Meet Stabbing Suspect Surpasses $350,000

A fundraiser established for the teen murder suspect accused of stabbing another teen at a track meet last week has raised more than $350,000.

Karmelo Anthony, 17, stands accused of the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf on April 2 at the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) District 11-5A championship track meet at Frisco ISD’s Kuykendall Stadium.

Anthony, who confessed to the stabbing, says he stabbed Metchalf to protect himself.

“As of the morning of April 11, a fundraiser on GiveSendGo for Anthony had raised $351,055 of its $450,000 goal,” WFAA reports.

“The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful,” the family’s post on the fundraiser reads. “As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all of your support during this trying period. Your prayers and assistance mean more to us now more than ever.”

The fundraising campaign, launched on GiveSendGo, has sparked severe backlash and prompted the site’s co-founders to address it.

“People are mad about our stance to allow Karmelo Anthony’s family a campaign on GiveSendGo, and I get it, it is a horrible situation. There are even calls for a boycott, but because I know a similar scenario will happen again for someone on the ‘right’ and our competitor won’t allow them a campaign even though it is a legal endeavor, people will be back to using GiveSendGo,” wrote co-founder Jacob Wells on X.

The campaign to support Anthony’s legal expenses could not have been launched on GoFundMe, as the site’s terms of use prohibit users from raising funds for “the legal defense of financial and violent crimes.”

Anthony’s bond hearing is set for April 14. Attorneys are seeking to reduce the accused murderer’s current bond, which is set at $1 million.