He’s accused of stabbing a fellow student at a high school track meet.
His family launched a fundraiser. It didn’t last long.
GoFundMe pulled the plug. And the internet went absolutely wild.
Karmelo Anthony, 17, is currently facing a murder charge after the tragic death of Austin Metcalf, another student in Frisco, Texas. The two teens reportedly didn’t even know each other, but a brief confrontation turned deadly.
Witnesses say Metcalf told Anthony to leave a tent during a meet. When Anthony refused, things escalated. Fast.
Seconds later, Metcalf had been stabbed in the chest.
That’s when the fundraiser popped up.
Anthony’s family set up a GoFundMe page to cover his legal defense. But not everyone thought that was OK.
GoFundMe didn’t either.
The platform quickly deleted the campaign, citing their policy that bans fundraisers for the legal defense of alleged violent crimes.
“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit raising money for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime,” the company said.
(source)
And just like that, it was gone.
But the controversy? Still very much alive.
The fundraiser didn’t disappear completely — it just moved.
Anthony’s family relaunched it on GiveSendGo, a platform that’s hosted campaigns for everyone from jailed politicians to vigilantes. And donations didn’t slow down.
They skyrocketed.
As of this week, that new campaign has passed $230,000. Yep. Two hundred and thirty grand.
“This is blood money,” one user commented.
“He’s accused of MURDER, and people are donating?” another added.
Others defended the move, saying everyone deserves the right to a legal defense — especially a teenager.
And while the battle plays out in court, the internet has already picked sides.
But the question still lingers:
If a teen brings a knife to a school event…
and someone ends up dead…
Should raising money for them even be allowed?