Family of Frisco stabbing suspect Karmelo Anthony speaks publicly about threats
The mother of Frisco track meet stabbing suspect Karmelo Anthony spoke publicly for the first time Thursday about the threats her family has faced over the past few weeks.
The 17-year-old Anthony is accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf on April 2. Karmelo was released from jail Monday, April 14, after a judge reduced his bond to $250,000 on a murder charge.
Karmelo told police after the stabbing that “I’m not alleged, I did it,” but said he was acting in self defense.
The press conference at Next Generation Action Network in Dallas was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. but was delayed for nearly an hour after the stabbing victim’s father, Jeff Metcalf, showed up unexpectedly.
Video taken by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV shows Jeff Metcalf being peacefully escorted off the premises by uniformed Dallas police officers.
Metcalf was not immediately available for comment Thursday afternoon when the Star-Telegram reached out to him by phone.
Dominique Alexander, the president of Next Generation Action Network, told reporters that Karmelo Anthony’s parents have received multiple threats, including racist comments and death threats, over the past couple of weeks, and their safety was paramount.
Kala Hayes, Anthony’s mother, said in an emotional address that her family “has been under attack” since the stabbing.
“The lies and false accusations that have been said about us, especially over the past week, has been overwhelming,” she said.
According to Hayes, the lies have put her family, the community and those investigating the case in danger. The family’s address and the address of her husband’s previous employer have been posted all over social media.
“My 13-year-old daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bedroom because she’s afraid of what might happen to her,” Hayes said.
Karmelo’s father, Andrew Anthony, stood with his wife during the conference but didn’t speak. Hayes said he’s had to take a leave of absence from his job over the fear of what might happen to his family.
Alexander said he and Anthony’s family can’t give specific details about the case because everyone involved, including the witnesses to the stabbing, are all minors.
“We can’t talk about it,” he said.
The purpose of the press conference was to address the misinformation and falsehoods that have spread about the Anthony family, he said. Alexander spoke about “the political operatives that want to make this thing a political thing of hate.”
“We have conservative operatives that have been posting nonstop about this case,” Alexander said. “It is outright disrespectful.”
He said Thursday’s event will be the last time he or Anthony’s family speaks about the case before it goes to trial.
Hayes said her son has the same right as everyone else to a fair trial.
“We believe in the Constitution, we believe in the laws of this state, but those laws must apply to all of us, not just some of us,” she said.
“We believe in the legal process, and that is where the truth will come out,” she added.
Hayes also said her family hasn’t seen a dime of the money that was raised through the platform GiveSendGo. They weren’t notified until yesterday that the funds were available, and it will still be a few days before they are able to draw any money out.
In spite of that, Alexander said, intentional misinformation has been circulating that Anthony’s family had bought a new home with the funds raised and was living in luxury. According to Alexander, Anthony’s family never raised any money through GoFundMe, and the accounts on that platform that purportedly were for him were all frauds.
“(Anthony’s) family was the first to report these funds,” he said.
Alexander also said rumors that the Collin County district judge who lowered Anthony’s bond, Angela Tucker, was connected with the family are false.
Going forward, Alexander said Next Generation Action Network is planning direct action against Frisco Independent School District officials, who made the decision to expel Karmelo Anthony a month before he would have graduated.
Alexander said they have spoken with Frisco ISD officials multiple times over the past several days and said that the expulsion was a decision that the school district did not have to make.
Alexander described Karmelo as a 3.7 GPA student who has high enough grades to graduate even if he doesn’t attend school for the rest of the year.
“The Next Generation Action Network, outside of the legal process, will be going through different avenues ... to ensure that we fight for the rights of Karmelo Anthony,” Alexander said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 1:21 PM.
