The Texas judge who reduced the bond of a teen who killed another boy at a track meet has been forced to go private on social media after being widely criticized for her ruling.
Collin County district judge Angela Tucker set her X account to private after she reduced Karmelo Anthony’s bond from $1million to $250,000 on Monday.
Anthony, 17, will await his trial for Austin Metcalf’s murder in home arrest after bonding out of jail following Tucker’s decision. Metcalf, 17, died in his twin brother Hunter’s arms after being stabbed in the heart at a track meet in Frisco.
Tucker, who was elected as a Republican, has been receiving racist attacks after reducing Anthony’s bond, with several social media accounts sharing her image and information as they slam the bond reduction.
At the same time the judge has been receiving support from Anthony’s supporters, who have donated more than $425,000 for his defense.
During Monday’s hearing, judge Tucker said ‘they’ve never had the security issues they’ve faced with this case.’
Meanwhile Anthony’s father Andrew said Monday they plan on using some of the donated funds to relocate homes after facing racist threats 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.’
The Frisco community and the nation at large have been divided over the case, with misinformation spreading online.
A spokesman for Anthony was forced to deny that the accused killer had been bullied by Metcalf before the fatal confrontation at the match. The two boys had never met each other before the killing.
Metcalf’s killing has divided the Frisco community and nation at large – A spokesman for the Anthony family was previously forced to deny that the accused killer had been bullied by Austin before the fatal confrontation at the match. The two boys had never met one another prior to the horrific stabbing.
The spokesman addressed the community after some of Anthony’s online supporters claimed ‘there was more to the story’ of the stabbing and said without evidence the teen had been bullied.
An arrest report says a confrontation between the two star football players began when Austin told Karmelo he was sitting under another team’s pop-up tent and told him to move, as reported by NBC DFW.
The two students from different high schools began fighting before Karmelo unzipped his bag and reached in, telling Austin: ‘Touch me and see what happens.’
The report says Austin then ‘grabbed Anthony to tell him to move and Anthony pulled out … a black knife and stabbed Austin once in the chest.’
Anthony reportedly ran away before being arrested by responding officers.
He had apparently told a school resource officer: ‘I was protecting myself,’ and, ‘He put his hands on me.’
Anthony won’t face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted, as he was a minor when the killing occurred, prosecutors said last week.
As Anthony walked free from Collin County Jail on Monday afternoon wearing a gray suit jacket and black collared shirt, he ignored the chaos around him, staring coldly ahead as he made a beeline for the waiting car.
His lawyers have said Anthony is the oldest of three children who had never been arrested before Metcalf’s murder.
He was the captain of his football and track teams at school and worked at Foot Locker, as well as a second job at a H-E-B supermarket prior to the stabbing.
Metcalf was a star football player at his high school and planned on being a college athlete, per his family.