Accused Killer of Austin Metcalf Raises Quarter of A Million

The defense fund for Karmelo Anthony raises $250,000 less than one week after the killing of a Frisco high school student.

The defense fund for Karmelo Anthony has exponentially increased its fundraising in just 24 hours, leading the fund to repeatedly increasing its goals.

The “Help Karmelo Official Fund”on GiveSendGo has raised $250,020 as of the afternoon of April 8th, with a goal of $300,000.

When Cowtown Caller first became aware of the fund late on April 6th, the fund had not yet raised $75,000 with a goal of 100,000. The following morning, it has 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 accused killer of Frisco high school football player Austin Metcalf 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 $290,000 with a goal of $300,000. The website says, “Jeff Metcalf is organizing this fundraiser.”

Another fund on the website named “In Memory of Austin Metcalf” raised almost $130,000. Metcalf died of injuries from a stab wound to the chest following a dispute between various high school students about seating in gameday tents on April 2nd.

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 policemen 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 then responds and says, “I’m not alleged, I did it," School Resource Officer Eduardo Cortez's report says, per Cowtown Caller.

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.

News reporting has indicated that Metcalf’s identical twin brother, Hunter, was a witness to the killing.

“We were one person,” Hunter told The Dallas Morning News the next day. “We did everything together, everything the same. We connected so well.”

“I pray that none of this happens to another family,” the decedent’s father, Jeff, told the outlet. “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 Metcalf added. “They were, and still are, great men.”

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