Karmelo Anthony’s legal fight is not over after his 35-year prison sentence, with his attorneys officially filing a notice of appeal less than a day after the Texas teen was sentenced for the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. The filing opens the next stage of a case that has already drawn national attention and divided public opinion.
Anthony, now 19, was convicted of murder in connection with the April 2025 stabbing at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Prosecutors said the confrontation began under a team tent during a high school track meet before Anthony stabbed Metcalf once in the chest.
During the trial, Anthony maintained that he acted in self-defense, but the jury rejected that argument. After finding him guilty, jurors later sentenced him to 35 years in prison, ending the trial but not the legal process surrounding the case.
Court records show Anthony’s defense team filed a notice of appeal within 24 hours of the verdict and sentence. His attorney, Mike Howard, said the appeal is the next step in the legal process and that the defense believes there are several issues for appellate courts to review
An appeal does not mean Anthony’s conviction has been overturned. It means a higher court will examine whether legal errors may have occurred during the trial and whether any of those issues could have affected the outcome.
Support for Anthony’s appeal began almost immediately. Dominique Alexander, founder of the Next Generation Action Network, said his organization contributed the first $10,000 toward appellate representation and continued to argue that the case raised serious concerns about fairness.
Anthony’s family also made clear that they are not done fighting. His mother, Kala Hayes, posted a message saying the fight had only begun, while his uncle shared a similar message online. His girlfriend, Valeria Perez, also posted a public message of support after the sentencing.
At the same time, another major part of the case returned to the spotlight: the family’s crowdfunding campaign. GiveSendGo confirmed that the fundraiser created for Anthony’s family had been closed after raising more than $635,000, saying the campaign had served its original pre-trial purpose.
The platform said the money was disbursed for lawful purposes, including legal defense and family relocation needs, while also pushing back against earlier rumors that the family had used donations to buy a home. Previous fact-checking also found no verified evidence supporting those home-purchase claims.
Now, Anthony remains sentenced while his appeal moves forward, and the public debate around the case continues. For his supporters, the appeal represents another chance to challenge the verdict. For Austin Metcalf’s family, the conviction and sentence stand as the outcome of a trial that could never bring back the son and brother they lost.
