TEXAS — The family of Karmelo Anthony is asking supporters to raise $250,000 to help finance an appeal after a Texas judge rejected the convicted killer’s request for a new trial.

The 19-year-old was sentenced to 35 years in prison in June after being convicted in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, in 2025.

Now, as Anthony’s legal team prepares to challenge the conviction, his family has launched a new fundraising campaign through GiveSendGo, seeking financial support for what could become a lengthy appellate battle.

The fundraiser had collected approximately $27,000 from supporters as of Wednesday, according to the family.

Family says appeal will require significant resources
Family spokesperson Dominique Alexander said Wednesday that pursuing an appeal through the Texas court system would require substantial financial resources.

The family says the new legal fund is intended specifically to help pay for the appellate process following the denial of Anthony’s motion for a new trial.

“We understand that the pursuit of justice through the appellate system requires tremendous resources,” Alexander told reporters.

Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, also publicly thanked supporters who have continued to stand behind the family following his son’s conviction.

He described supporters as “angels” and thanked both people who have followed the case online and members of the family’s personal support network.

Judge rejects request for new trial
The fundraising effort comes after a Collin County judge rejected Anthony’s request for a new trial last month.

The defense had argued that important evidence was kept from the jury as part of an agreement between prosecutors and the original defense team.

The dispute centers on a so-called handshake agreement that governed which pieces of evidence could be introduced during Anthony’s trial.

According to Anthony’s new attorneys, the agreement ultimately had significant consequences for the defense’s ability to present its case.

They argued during the retrial hearing that evidence that later became public could have affected the jury’s assessment of the case.

The judge nevertheless denied the motion for a new trial, prompting Anthony’s legal team to turn its attention toward the appeals process.

Defense points to previously undisclosed evidence
One of the most contentious issues involves evidence concerning Anthony’s previous communications and allegations about his behavior before the fatal confrontation.

Anthony’s attorneys have pointed to threatening or violent messages that they say were not presented to the jury.

His former girlfriend also reportedly accused him of stalking her shortly before the 2025 stabbing, according to arguments made by attorneys.

The defense contends that such information could have been relevant to the proceedings, while the legal battle over whether it should have been presented to jurors remains part of Anthony’s broader challenge to his conviction.

The prosecution and defense had previously reached an agreement concerning certain evidence.

Under that arrangement, prosecutors reportedly agreed not to introduce some evidence involving Anthony in exchange for the defense agreeing not to introduce information concerning Metcalf’s criminal record.

Agreement also involved Metcalf’s record
The defense reportedly agreed not to discuss Metcalf’s record stemming from allegations that he and two other people had spray-painted racist graffiti.

In exchange, certain evidence concerning Anthony was kept out of the courtroom.

Anthony’s new attorneys have argued that disputes surrounding the agreement ultimately harmed their client’s ability to mount a full defense.

According to the new legal team, disagreements over the last-minute handling of the agreement contributed to Anthony’s decision not to testify.

The defense has characterized that development as a major setback that ultimately weakened the case presented to the jury.

Anthony did not take the stand
One of the key arguments raised by Anthony’s current attorneys is that the legal dispute over the evidence affected whether he could testify in his own defense.

His new lawyers have argued that the uncertainty surrounding the agreement prevented Anthony from taking the witness stand.

That decision became a significant part of their argument for a new trial.

Co-counsel Sean Daredia told reporters Wednesday that newly revealed evidence demonstrated, in his view, that Anthony had not received a fair trial.

The defense has continued to argue that the jury did not hear the full picture of the circumstances surrounding the case.

However, the judge rejected the request for a new trial, meaning those arguments will now have to be pursued through the appellate system.

What happened to Austin Metcalf?
The case stems from a confrontation at a high school track meet in Frisco in April 2025.

Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School, was fatally stabbed in the chest during the incident.

Anthony, who attended Frisco Centennial High School and was also a student-athlete, was arrested and subsequently prosecuted.

The case attracted national attention, with supporters of both sides closely following the proceedings.

Anthony was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

His family has continued to maintain that the legal process did not fully reflect the evidence they believe should have been considered.

Previous fundraiser raised more than $600,000
This is not the first time Anthony’s supporters have raised substantial money for his legal defense.

A previous GiveSendGo campaign reportedly collected more than $600,000 before it was taken down shortly after Anthony’s conviction.

According to a statement from the fundraising organization, that earlier campaign had been established to address Anthony’s pretrial needs.

The organization said the funds were subsequently distributed for lawful purposes, including legal defense and relocation expenses for the family.

The new campaign has a different focus: raising money to support Anthony’s appeal following his conviction and the denial of his request for a new trial.

Appeal could continue into next year
Anthony’s legal team has warned that the appellate process could be lengthy.

The current proceedings could extend into 2027, while a successful appeal leading to a new trial could prolong the legal battle even further.

An appeal does not automatically mean a conviction will be overturned. Anthony’s attorneys will need to present legal grounds challenging the conviction, and the appellate courts will determine whether those arguments justify relief.

The process could therefore take considerable time before there is any final resolution.

Family continues to seek public support
As the legal battle moves forward, Anthony’s family is once again turning to supporters for financial assistance.

The $250,000 target reflects the costs the family expects to face as attorneys pursue the appeal.

For supporters of Anthony, the new fundraiser represents an opportunity to continue backing his legal team after the failed bid for a new trial.

For the victim’s family, meanwhile, the case remains centered on the death of Austin Metcalf and the conviction that followed.

The competing perspectives ensure that the legal battle surrounding the case is likely to continue well beyond the original trial.

With the request for a new trial denied and an appeal now being prepared, Karmelo Anthony’s case has entered another significant phase.

The next major developments will depend on the appellate proceedings — and whether his legal team can persuade a higher court that errors in the original trial were serious enough to warrant a different outcome.