The defense fund for Karmelo Anthony, the suspect in the stabbing death of Frisco high school athlete Austin Metcalf, has exponentially increased its fundraising in just 24 hours, leading the organizers to increase its funding goal repeatedly.
As of Wednesday morning, the “Help Karmelo Official Fund” on GiveSendGo had raised over $277,000, with a goal of $350,000.
When The Dallas Express first became aware of the fund late on April 6, the fund had not yet raised $75,000 with a goal of $100,000. The following morning, it had raised $150,000 with a new goal of $200,000. By midnight, the fund had raised more than $200,000.
The description states, “This is the Official Support Fund for Karmelo and his family during this challenging and difficult time. The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful. 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 Anthony Family.”
The surge in fundraising for the alleged killer has mirrored a similar surge in crowd-sourced funding for the family of the victim. A GoFundMe titled “Honoring Austin Metcalf: Help His Family Heal” has raised over $308,000 with a goal of $330,000. The website reads, “Jeff Metcalf is organizing this fundraiser.”
Another fund on the website, “In Memory of Austin Metcalf,” had raised over $145,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Metcalf died of injuries from a stab wound to the heart following a dispute about seating in gameday tents during a track meet on April 2.
Anthony’s legal team appears to be embracing a self-defense argument.
“I know that my client said it was self-defense. I don’t have any reason to disbelieve that, but I need to develop facts, talk to people, and figure out what’s going on before I make any statements about what I think happened,” the suspect’s defense attorney, Deric Walpole, said to NBC 5 DFW. “I don’t have any reason to think it wasn’t self-defense at this time.”
Reports from police officers who responded to the incident say that Anthony did not immediately deny killing Metcalf.
“While the suspect sat on the ground, I advised [another officer] that I had the alleged suspect. The suspect responded, ‘I’m not alleged, I did it,'” read the report from School Resource Officer Eduardo Cortez, per The Dallas Express.
Frisco PD Officer Allyson Ricci’s report gives a nearly identical account of Anthony’s apparent confession. Ricci’s report also added that Anthony appeared to be workshopping whether his action would qualify as self-defense.
Metcalf’s identical twin brother, Hunter, was a witness to the killing.
“We did everything together — clean the dishes together, do yard work together, sports, you name it. … It was always us two doing one thing, so we’ve always just basically been one person, ” Hunter Metcalf said of his brother, per WFAA. “I had a blast playing sports with him my whole life.”
“I pray that none of this happens to another family,” the Metcalf’s father, Jeff, told The Dallas Morning News. “If you can’t be a kind person, find one. We need more compassion, more love, more understanding, better parenting, and less social media.”
“I’m so proud of both of my sons,” Jeff added. “They were, and still are, great men.”