THE SICKEST TWIST YET: A Grieving Family Hunted, Death Threats, and the Toxic Mob Trying to Rewrite Austin Metcalf’s M*rder

The Collin County justice system handed down a 35-year prison sentence to 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony, officially convicting him of the First-Degree M*rder of Austin Metcalf. For a brief, fleeting moment, it seemed like the Metcalf family could finally begin the grueling, agonizing process of mourning their 17-year-old son in peace.

But the nightmare is far from over. In fact, it has just morphed into something infinitely more sinister.

In a sickening development that has completely shattered the moral compass of the internet, radical activists and supporters of the convicted k!ller have now launched a coordinated campaign of death threats against the Metcalf family. They buried their teenage son, and now, they are fighting for their own physical safety.

The Grandmother’s “Dog Whistle” Worked

To understand how a clear-cut m*rder trial devolved into an active threat against a grieving family, you have to look at the immediate aftermath of the sentencing.

When Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes, rolled down the window of her high-end luxury vehicle to scream “Racists! Bias!” at the courthouse cameras, she wasn’t just venting frustration. Media analysts and public safety experts recognize exactly what that was: a dangerous, calculated dog whistle.

By aggressively injecting a fabricated racial narrative into a tragedy that was fundamentally about a teenager pulling a 5-inch tactical bl*de, the Anthony family successfully weaponized the internet. They couldn’t win in a court of law using facts, so they ignited a toxic culture war to manipulate extreme, radical activists into doing their dirty work.

And tragically, the mob answered the call.

The Double Victimization of the Metcalfs

The reality inside the Metcalf home right now is unimaginable.

Austin’s mother, Meghan, who wept on the stand about her “life sentence” of visiting a graveyard, is now reportedly receiving non-stop, violent messages from unhinged supporters of her son’s k!ller. Jeff Metcalf, who bravely stood up in court to declare that his son’s death “was never about race, but about right and wrong,” has already been the target of terrifying “swatting” incidents—where anonymous trolls call armed police to raid his home under false pretenses.

Think about the sheer, psychological depravity of this situation.

Hunter Metcalf held his dying twin brother on the grass. He lost his best friend, his future best man, and a piece of his own soul. And his reward for delivering a heart-wrenching victim impact statement? Being targeted by an extremist mob threatening to finish the job. No family should ever have to bury a child and then barricade their doors because they dared to ask the justice system for accountability.

A Fabricated War to Erase the Truth

The individuals sending these threats are committing the ultimate betrayal of justice. They do not care about the facts, and they certainly do not care about the truth.

They want the public to conveniently forget that Karmelo Anthony was politely asked to leave the Memorial High School tent 15 separate times. They want you to ignore the vicious, ego-driven slur he hurled at Austin. They want you to dismiss the fact that Karmelo’s own defense witness admitted under oath that he was never “surrounded” by a hostile mob.

Above all, they want to erase the 5-inch tactical w*apon that pierced a 17-year-old’s chest bone.

By turning this clear-cut tragedy into a political battleground, these extremist supporters are desperately trying to rebrand a convicted, arrogant predator into a martyr. In doing so, they are actively dehumanizing the real victim.

Where is the Condemnation?

The silence from the defense table is absolutely deafening. While the Metcalf family is terrorized by death threats, Karmelo Anthony’s high-paid legal team and his outspoken family members have completely failed to call off the mob they helped incite.

The Frisco community, however, is refusing to back down. Millions of supporters are now demanding that the FBI and local law enforcement step in immediately to track down the cowards hiding behind their keyboards.

Austin Metcalf was a protector. He died looking out for his teammates. Now, it is up to the public and the justice system to step up and protect the family he left behind from a toxic, manipulated mob that refuses to accept the truth.

Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s family used fundraiser money for moving and living expenses

GiveSendGo campaign was posted less than two weeks after Anthony stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet

Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family organized by his mother, Kala Hayes, has been taken down.

Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years behind bars Tuesday. He has since filed a notice of appeal to challenge the conviction.

He said in his appeal that he cannot afford a new lawyer, WFAA reported. Those documents say Anthony is a “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,” according to the outlet.

The fundraiser was posted on GiveSendGo, an international crowdfunding platform, April 15, 2025, which was less than two weeks after Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

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The fundraiser for convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony and his family has been taken down from the GiveSendGo crowdfunding website. (GiveSendGo)

All the while, the fundraiser for Anthony and his family, titled “Help Karmelo Official Fund,” initially had a goal of generating nearly $1.4 million and raised just shy of $634,000.

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The now-defunct fundraiser shared this purpose, according to the website:

The online fundraiser for Karmelo Anthony and his family, organized by his mother, Kala Hayes, has been scrubbed from the GiveSendGo website. (GiveSendGo)

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“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, and other security measures.”

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It was not immediately clear where the Anthony family moved to from its Frisco, Texas, home.

However, a man who identifies himself as Anthony’s father on Facebook, Drew Anthony, has publicly posted in his profile that he lives in New Orleans.

A man who identifies himself as the father of Karmelo Anthony appears to live in New Orleans. (Facebook)

In a post on X, GiveSendGo wrote in part:

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“The fundraiser was created to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were dispersed over the past year for lawful purposes, including legal defense and family relocation with that stated purpose now complete the fundraiser has been closed. Our policy is that a fundraiser stated purpose stays accurate so givers always know what they are supporting.”

While one fundraiser was scrubbed, another has reportedly reappeared in support of the Anthony family. A new fundraising campaign was started by Dominique Alexander. Anthony’s family has had Dallas-based civil rights activist Minister Dominque Alexander as a spokesperson throughout the case.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Anthony family, Alexander and GiveSendGo for comment.