Karmelo Anthony murder case fuels activist backlash and viral misinformation

Seventeen‑year‑old Karmelo Anthony was sentenced in April 2025 to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 17‑year‑old Austin Metcalf at a Texas high‑school track meet. Activists and public figures, including ESPN Radio host Peter Rosenberg, APA Black Caucus president Danielle Hairston, Rep. Christian Menefee and Rep. Troy Carter, criticized the sentence as lenient, contrasting it with the death penalty imposed on Dylann Roof for the 2015 Charleston church shooting.

Collin County Judge Angela Tucker reduced Anthony’s initial $1 million bond to $250,000, allowing house‑arrest with GPS monitoring, which sparked online backlash. Anthony has filed a notice of appeal, citing inability to afford counsel.

Separately, a viral X post falsely claimed streamer Adin Ross pledged $600,000 to put Anthony in the electric chair. The claim was debunked; the video cited was from an unrelated Kick stream, and Ross has actually donated to the Metcalf family’s GoFundMe, which raised over $600,000. Ross expressed anger at Anthony’s bail release but did not call for the death penalty.