Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony has claimed he’s “penniless” and can’t afford a lawyer for his appeal — despite his family collecting $625,000 in crowdfunding for his legal defense and “living expenses,” according to a report.

Anthony, 19, made the assertion in a notice of appeal filed after he was found guilty of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years behind bars, according to a report by ABC WFAA.

Anthony — who was moved to a Texas state prison Wednesday — is “penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,” reads the appeal form.

A young man with a shaved head and a light-colored sleeveless shirt poses for a photo.
Karmelo Anthony claimed he is “penniless.”Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice
Anthony’s defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense has “several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American.”

The GiveSendGo that was set up for Anthony by his mom was closed down Wednesday but a new account could be opened to help fund his new appeal.

It’s unclear how a judge would factor in the $625,000 his family collected when determining if he should be considered indigent and eligible for a taxpayer-funded lawyer for his appeal.

Supporters of Karmelo Anthony protest outside of the Collin County Courthouse.
Supporters of Karmelo Anthony protest before a verdict is announced in Anthony’s murder trial outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images

Portrait of Austin Metcalf.
Austin Metcalf was murdered on April 2, 2025.Meghan Prall Metcalf/Facebook
 

The fundraising page said the donations wouldn’t only cover legal fees but would help Anthony’s family relocate to escape threats they’ve received and to cover basic needs, counseling and security measures.

Anthony was convicted of killing Metcalf on April 2, 2025, during a high school track and field meet in Frisco, Texas.

Illustration of a courtroom with the defendant in the middle, the jury to the left, and the judge to the right, showing an image of a track meet on a screen.
A courtroom sketch shows Karmelo Anthony (center) at the defense table, the jury on the left and the presiding judge on the right, on Thursday, June 4, 2026.AP
The pair got into a disagreement after Metcalf, a student at Frisco Memorial High School, asked Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial High School, to leave his team’s tent, jurors heard at trial.

Things escalated with Metcalf shoving Anthony, who responded by taking a folding knife out of his backpack and stabbing Metcalf once in the chest, according to trial testimony.

Anthony claimed the knifing was self-defense.