Teen Convicted in Stabbing Case Seeks Public Defender for Appeal

Carmelo Anthony, a Texas teenager sentenced for the murder of a star high school athlete during a track meet, is requesting a court to appoint him a public defender for his appeal. This is noteworthy, especially since his family has raised over $500,000 for legal expenses.

Just recently, a jury in Collin County found Anthony guilty of killing Austin Metcalfe in 2025, and he received a 35-year prison sentence. Following his conviction, Anthony promptly filed an appeal against the verdict and claimed he was “penniless, indigent, and too poor to hire an attorney,” as stated in court papers.

Interestingly, this request comes after a GiveSendGo campaign aimed at covering legal and other costs raised approximately $634,000, which is about half of its $1.4 million target. However, this crowdfunding effort was removed soon after his conviction.

According to the now-deleted fundraiser, the collected funds were intended not just for legal fees but also for various urgent needs arising from the incident, such as relocation and basic living expenses due to perceived threats to the Anthony family’s safety and well-being.

Details about the family’s potential relocation were not immediately clear. The fundraiser had originally been set up shortly after Anthony stabbed Metcalfe at a track event in April 2025.

It’s noteworthy that the GiveSendGo platform requires that fundraising efforts for legal expenses be clearly defined as such. Support for other costs, like living expenses, is generally not permissible under their guidelines.

In a statement, GiveSendGo mentioned that while this particular fundraiser was meant for pre-trial needs and had appropriately dispersed funds for legal and relocation purposes, it was ultimately closed once its initial goals were met.

Fox News Digital reached out to both Anthony’s attorney and GiveSendGo for further comments.