The 17-year-old murder suspect accused of stabbing and killing another teenage boy in the chest during a high school track meet has officially moved into a new, $900,000 home in a gated community and bought a new vehicle.
Karmelo Anthony, who has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf following what witnesses said was a seating dispute, has raised nearly $500,000 on a crowdfunding website GiveSendGo. The fundraiser’s description said the money would be used toward Anthony’s legal fees, after he claimed through his lawyer that he stabbed Metcalf in the chest as an act of self-defense.
However, Anthony’s father told the court this week that some of the money would be used to relocate the family to a new home and hire security, citing “racial threats.” Anthony has since been released on a $250,000 bond - much lower than the original $1 million bond he was being held under - and ordered to remain at home with an ankle monitor ahead of his next hearing.
According to the New York Post, Anthony’s lawyers cited “financial difficulties” as part of the reason to lower his bond, but that the family is renting an expensive home in an upscale neighborhood, at an estimated cost of $3,500.
In the driveway sits a Suburban, a black Acura, and a third Sedan, the New York Post added, citing a neighbor who said one of the vehicles is new.
Related: Karmelo Anthony's 'Legal Defense' Fund Will Be Used For a New Home & 'Security,' Family Admits
“He got a new car,” the neighbor reportedly said. “If you look at the license plate, it’s got a paper tag and it says it expires June 4.”
It's not clear whose name the car was purchased under, who paid for it, or if it was bought using funds from the online campaign. However, Anthony’s attorneys argued in court earlier this week that the family needed to move and suggested the need to use some of the donations for living expenses due to all the negative publicity surrounding their son.
“This family needs to be able to survive,” defense attorney Mike Howard told the court during Anthony’s bond hearing before his release. “There’s been a tremendous amount of pressure. I think at this point, living in a gated community, given everything, the safety of their younger children is very warranted. Security details and criminal defense are not cheap.”
Anthony’s online fundraiser has raked in more than $443,000 as of Wednesday morning, roughly $76,000 more than the $367,000 raised for his victim’s family’s GoFundMe campaign.