{"id":152,"date":"2026-06-11T19:08:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152"},"modified":"2026-06-11T19:08:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:08:50","slug":"family-of-convicted-killer-karmelo-anthony-pocketed-630k-in-donations-before-fundraisers-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152","title":{"rendered":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fundraiser started by the family of Karmelo Anthony was shut down this week after the teen was convicted of murdering a fellow teenage athlete at a track meet last year \u2014 but not until after it had raised\u00a0at least $630,000 to support his legal defense and his family\u2019s personal needs.<\/p>\n

Read more Is The U.S. Navy Cleaning House Amid \u2018Loss of Confidence\u2019 Firings?<\/a><\/p>\n

Anthony was convicted of first-degree murder on Tuesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in April 2025. Anthony went into the rival team\u2019s tent and Metcalf repeatedly asked him to leave. When an altercation ensued, Metcalf pushed Anthony, who then pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest.<\/p>\n

A Texas jury sentenced Anthony to 35 years in prison this week.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the jurors handed down their conviction, GiveSendGo closed down a fundraising page that Anthony\u2019s mother, Kala Hayes, had started at the time of her son\u2019s arrest. GiveSendGo operates similar to GoFundMe, with the important caveat that criminal cases can use the platform to fundraise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fundraiser was supported to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were disbursed over the last year,\u201d GiveSendGo said in\u00a0a statement. \u201cWith that stated purpose complete, the fundraiser has been closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal was to raise $1.4 million, and a \u201cbulk of this money is going to be used for Karmelo\u2019s legal defense,\u201d GiveSendGo co-founder Jacob Wells said in April 2025.<\/p>\n

However, the family\u2019s fundraising page also noted the donations would be used for their own personal needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile\u00a0legal defense is a critical part of this journey, we want to make it clear that this fund is not solely dedicated to legal expenses,\u201d the fundraiser read. \u201cThe funds raised will also support a range of urgent and necessary means that have emerged as a result of the situation, including \u2013 but not limited to \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The case has drawn national attention, with supporters of Anthony, who is black, alleging that the trial was biased because there were no black jurors.<\/p>\n

Metcalf\u2019s father, Jeff, and the district attorney denied that the proceedings had anything to do with race. The arrest report does not mention race as a contributing factor.<\/p>\n

Read more Texas Teen Karmelo Anthony Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Fatal Track Meet Stabbing<\/a><\/p>\n

Controversy emerged surrounding allegations that the money had been spent to buy the Anthony family a new home, but GiveSendGo previously confirmed that at the time of disbursement, the family had already purchased their home.<\/p>\n

Per GiveSendGo\u2019s guidelines, the company prohibits fundraising for people who have been convicted of committing violent crimes, notably campaigns that \u201cfinancially reward, glorify, or support the lifestyle of individuals convicted of violent crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Anthony\u2019s conviction was handed down on Tuesday, but before the page was shut down, donations were still rolling in.<\/p>\n

As long as the family follows GiveSendGo guidelines, they may be able to create another campaign page now that Anthony intends to file an appeal to his conviction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t comment on the specifics of the movement of the campaign funds, just that they will be disbursed in accordance with our typical procedure,\u201d Wells told the New York Post<\/em>. \u201cThe family will be able to set up a new campaign if they desire as long as it aligns with our terms of service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its statement, GiveSendGo said hosting a fundraiser is not an endorsement of a person\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not a declaration of innocence and it is not a political statement. GiveSendGo provides access to lawful fundraising, which we extend across the full spectrum of cases,\u201d the statements reads. \u201cOur hearts are with Austin\u2019s family, his twin brother, and everyone grieving a loss that no verdict can undo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Teachers\u2019 Unions Spent Billions of Dollars in Membership Dues on Exorbitant Employee Salaries<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A fundraiser started by the family of Karmelo Anthony was shut down this week after the teen was convicted of murdering a fellow teenage athlete at a track meet last year \u2014 but not until after it had raised at least $630,000 to support his legal defense and his family’s personal needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\nFamily of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A fundraiser started by the family of Karmelo Anthony was shut down this week after the teen was convicted of murdering a fellow teenage athlete at a track meet last year \u2014 but not until after it had raised at least $630,000 to support his legal defense and his family's personal needs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Housing Transition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\"},\"headline\":\"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152\"},\"wordCount\":687,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"U.S.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152\",\"name\":\"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp\",\"width\":2057,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?p=152#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Housing Transition\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanhousingtransition.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition","og_description":"A fundraiser started by the family of Karmelo Anthony was shut down this week after the teen was convicted of murdering a fellow teenage athlete at a track meet last year \u2014 but not until after it had raised at least $630,000 to support his legal defense and his family's personal needs.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152","og_site_name":"American Housing Transition","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff"},"headline":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure","datePublished":"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152"},"wordCount":687,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp","articleSection":["U.S."],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152","name":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure - American Housing Transition","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-11T19:08:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/222b798c72a1258918a72f2642b77b30.webp","width":2057,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?p=152#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Family of Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Pocketed $630k in Donations Before Fundraiser\u2019s Closure"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/","name":"American Housing Transition","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ccdc45e963ff9df1519ca04968801ff","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanhousingtransition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}