The parents of alleged murderer Karmelo Anthony insist they ‘haven’t received a dime’ of the hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to their son’s legal fund.
Anthony’s mother Kala Hayes said Thursday the family had only just received notice that they can access the $500,000 of donations, but that it will still take a few days before any money is received.
Hayes’ teen son is accused of fatally stabbing Memorial High School junior Austin Metcalf following an altercation at a Texas track meet on April 2.
Anthony admitted to the stabbing, per police, but his lawyer has indicated he will claim that he acted in self-defense.
At a press conference yesterday, Minister Dominique Alexander, the president and CEO of the Next Generation Action Network which is assisting the family, denied that they had used the money to ‘splurge’ on a new home and said that his organization had provided a security detail.
DailyMail.com recently revealed that Anthony and his family is holed up in a $900,000 house in a gated community in Frisco which the family is renting for an estimated price tag of $3,500 a month, according to Zillow.
The detail emerged after Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, told a court that he could not use the donations for his son’s original $1 million bond because it was to be used for his legal defense, as well as relocation and security costs.
A notice on the fundraiser also states that the money will be used for 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’.
But Hayes said yesterday the money would take a few days to reach their account.
‘We have not received a single dime from the GiveSendGo fundraiser,’ she said through angry sobs.
‘We were just notified yesterday that we could begin to withdraw funds and it still takes several days to receive those funds once the request is made.’
She added that her family had been subjected to harassment and death threats.
‘I don’t know why we’ve been targeted and discriminated against,’ Hayes said.
Alexander also blasted ‘misinformation’ around the case and revealed that Frisco ISD is moving to expel Anthony, who was set to graduate with a 3.7 GPA.
‘The Anthony family has been subject to an unimaginable amount of hate, racism and threats to their safety,’ he said.
The press conference got off to a chaotic start after Metcalf’s father Jeff Metcalf turned up and had to be asked to leave by police.
Anthony, 17, walked free from prison after a controversial decision by a judge to lower his bond for charges that he stabbed and killed Metcalf.
Local cops say a confrontation between Metcalf and Anthony broke out during a high school track meet when Metcalf called out Anthony, who did not attend the same school as Metcalf, for sitting under his team’s tent.
Metcalf demanded Anthony leave and the argument escalated when Anthony produced a knife and stabbed the junior from Memorial High School in the chest.
Metcalf died in his twin brother’s arms who was also at the track meet. False online rumors claimed Metcalf had bullied Anthony, but the Anthony family spokesman later confirmed that the two boys had never met before the stabbing.
As part of the terms of his release, Anthony is under house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor.
When DailyMail.com visited the home Tuesday, a white Suburban, a black Acura and a third sedan were parked in the driveway.
One resident told DailyMail.com the family just purchased a new vehicle.
‘He got a new car. If you look at the license plate, it’s got a paper tag and it says it expires June 4,’ the resident, who asked to remain anonymous, shared.
The lavish lifestyle is in stark contract to the cash struggles Anthony’s father claimed to have in court Monday, where the parent claimed he was the sole breadwinner.
Many of the family’s neighbors didn’t know the Anthonys lived among them until Karmelo came home from jail Monday.
‘Richwoods,’ as the exclusive community is called, is located within walking distance of Centennial High School, where Anthony ran track and was the captain of the football team before his arrest.
Meanwhile, the judge who reduced Anthony’s bond has gone private on social media after receiving racist attacks for her ruling, with several social media accounts sharing her image and information as they slam the bond reduction.
During Monday’s hearing, judge Angela Tucker said ‘they’ve never had the security issues they’ve faced with this case.’