OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:06 PM – Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Surfacing reports have stated that Karmelo Anthony, the 17-year-old who admitted to fatally stabbing student Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet, has purportedly been living in a $900,000 home with his family — despite requesting that a judge lower his $1 million bond, due to “financial difficulties.”
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According to DailyMail, the house, where rent is said to be $3,500 per month, had a black Acura, a white Suburban, and a third vehicle in the driveway.
Anthony is under house arrest at his family’s residence inside the gated community of Richwoods in Frisco, Texas, following his release from jail on Monday on a reduced $250,000 bond for admitting to the murder of Metcalf, which was backed up by witness accounts — the outlet continued.
A neighbor of theirs also told reporters that the family had just purchased a new vehicle.
“He got a new car,” the resident told the outlet. “If you look at the license plate, it’s got a paper tag and it says it expires June 4.”
Additionally, another neighbor also told the outlet that Anthony’s family is “not poor” if they live in the gated community.
“They’re not poor people. That’s for sure,” he said.
Nevertheless, it’s unclear how long Anthony and his family have lived at the residence.
Anthony’s bond was recently lowered from $1 million to $250,000, after his defense lawyers suggested that he and his family could not afford a $1 million bond.
“Given that Karmelo has no prior criminal history… given that this young man has not been in any sort of trouble before. $1 million is not necessary,” Defense Attorney Mike Howard stated, while also noting that they may need to pay for extra security measures as well.
“This family needs to be able to survive. There’s been a tremendous amount of pressure. I think at this point, living in a gated community, given everything, the safety of their younger children is very warranted. Security details and criminal defense are not cheap.”
Howard suggested putting Anthony on an ankle monitor and imposing house arrest to “give this young man a chance to get out of jail and be with his family.”
In addition, after the hearing, Howard told reporters that “every Texan deserves the right to defend themselves when they reasonably fear for their life.”
“Self defense is a protection that applies to each and every one of us. There are two sides to every story. Karmelo is a 17-year-old kid and an excellent student. He is the captain of his track team and the captain of his football team. This is a tragedy all the way around for both families.”
He went on to state that after a full investigation, “the truth will come out,” and that this has been a one-sided investigation.
“Bond, as the judge said, is not supposed to be an instrument of oppression, it’s not supposed to keep people in jail. It’s to ensure someone comes to court,” said Howard.
“I know both sides would ask that the temperature on this be allowed to come down,” he added.
Last week, an online fundraiser for Anthony was created, which has now reached over $447,000, as of April 16th at 12:52 p.m. PT, nearly hitting the $500,000 goal, as shown on the web page.
“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 needs that have emerged as a result of this 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,” Anthony’s fundraising page states.
However, CBS 11 News also reported that his father, Andrew Anthony, told the court that he has no access to the donated funds and could not afford to pay the original $1 million bond — hence, why he supposedly wanted the original bond lowered.
“Jacob Wells, cofounder of the popular crowdsourcing platform [GiveSendGo], tells TMZ no funds have been distributed, as the company receives ‘clarity from the campaign recipient on use of funds so that the people that have given can be confident in how their donation is being used,’” TMZ reported on Wednesday.
Anthony had been held in the Collin County Jail since being charged with fatally stabbing Metcalf and leaving him to die “in his twin brother’s arms” at an athletic event in Frisco on April 2nd.
The stabbing occurred when Metcalf, a Memorial High School junior, requested Anthony, a Centennial High School student, to move from underneath his school’s pop-up tent during a rain delay — and Anthony refused, according to the arrest report.
Anthony then unzipped a bag, reached inside, and told Metcalf: “Touch me and see what happens,” a witness told police. According to authorities, Metcalf then “grabbed Anthony to tell him to move and Anthony pulled out … a black knife and stabbed Austin once in the chest.”
Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, raced to Austin’s rescue, but he was unable to save him.
“I put my hand on [his chest], tried to make [the bleeding] stop, and I grabbed his head and I looked into his eyes. I just saw his soul leave. And it took my soul, too,” Hunter told Fox News in an emotional interview the following day.
Anthony had attempted to flee the scene, but was quickly arrested.
“I’m not alleged, I did it,” Anthony confessed to police as he was being taken into custody, according to the arrest report. “I was protecting myself,” Anthony told cops. “He put his hands on me.”
Anthony’s attorney, Deric Walpole, told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that he believes his client had acted in self-defense when he thrust a knife into Metcalf’s heart — as Anthony told police during his arrest.
“I know that my client said it was self defense. I don’t have any reason to disbelieve that, but I need to develop facts, talk to people, and figure out what’s going on before I make any statements about what I think happened,” Walpole told the outlet. “I don’t have any reason to think it wasn’t self defense at this time.”
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