A GiveSendGo campaign set up for accused murderer Karmelo Anthony has so far reached $430,000, a mind-boggling amount of cash that far surpasses the $350,000 raised for the family of the 17-year-old boy Anthony admitted to stabbing in the heart with a knife during a high school track meet.
But the tens of thousands of donors who contributed to the fund for Anthony’s “legal defense” might be surprised to learn the cash will go to pay for more than just his lawyers.
According to this, Anthony’s father disclosed in court this week that while some of the cash will be used for attorneys to fight the murder charges against his son, a good chunk of it will also be used to buy a new home and “security” for the family amid “racist” threats.
The Daily Mail reports:
Andrew Anthony said the fund was to be used for Anthony's legal defense. But he also disclosed that the cash would be used for security and to help the family move after the threats they have allegedly faced since the killing.
The revelation comes after a spokesperson for the family said they can't leave their after their address was leaked online, leading to 'graphic and racist threats,' which included images of 'black children with knives stuck in their head.'
Anthony's attorney Michael Howard said, regarding the money: 'It would be disingenuous to say there isn’t money... But it is not a bond fund. This family needs to be able to survive.’
Related: Accused Murderer's Crowdfunder Officially Surpasses His Victim's at Over $319k
Anthony, who was originally being held on a $1 million bond, was released earlier this week after a judge lowered his bond to $250,000. He will be confined to his home on an ankle monitor ahead of his next hearing.
Anthony is claiming self-defense for why he stabbed and killed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet, over what witnesses said was a seating dispute after Anthony entered Metcalf’s team’s tent and allegedly refused to leave. The incident sparked a verbal altercation between the two and ultimately ended when Anthony pulled a knife from his backpack and stabbed Metcalf in the chest, leaving him to bleed out in the arms of his twin brother before help could arrive.