Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teenager convicted of stabbing a star athlete to death at a high school track meet, is asking the court to appoint a free public defender for his appeal, despite his family raising more than a half million dollars in funds for his legal fees. Anthony was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Collin County jury Tuesday for the 2025 murder of Austin Metcalf. In the days following his conviction, Anthony filed a notice of appeal of the guilty verdict and requested a court-appointed public defender, claiming that he is a "penniless, destitute and indigent person" that is "too poor to employ counsel," according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The request from Anthony comes after a GiveSendGo fundraiser created to help pay for his legal fees and other expenses raised around $634,000 – nearly half of its $1.4 million goal.GOT A TIP?Karmelo Anthony is pictured after being transferred to the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and transported to the Pack Unit near Navasota, Texas.(Texas Department of Criminal Justice)However, the online campaign was taken down following his conviction earlier this week. Read the notice of appeal here:The now-deleted fundraiser detailed how the funds would be used, and included that the money would go toward family expenses incurred by the case.FOLLOW US ON XThe online fundraiser for Karmelo Anthony and his family, organized by his mother,r Kala Hayes, has been scrubbed from the GiveSendGo website.
(GiveSendGo)"While legal defense is a critical part of this journey, we want to make it clear that this fund is not solely dedicated to legal expenses.The funds raised will also support a range of urgent and necessary means that have emerged as a result of the situation, including – but not limited to – 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, an...