Texas killer claims he’s ‘penniless’ while appealing murder conviction
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FRISCO, Texas – Karmelo Anthony has hired another attorney in his fight to appeal his murder conviction.
Earlier this month, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison for stabbing and killing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. He has since filed a notice of appeal.
Collin County court records show criminal defense attorney Lara Bracamonte Davila is his current court-appointed attorney.
Karmelo Anthony is photographed after being transferred into the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and transported to the Parcel Unit near Navasota, Texas. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
JEFF METCALF TALKS ABOUT LOSS OF HIS SON AUSTIN AND HOW HIS FAMILY IS MOVING FORWARD
Before Bracamonte Davila was appointed, Fox News Digital learned the court briefly appointed criminal defense attorney Donny Perales. He no longer represents Anthony.
While Bracamonte Davila is currently the court-appointed appellate attorney, Perales said in an email to Fox News Digital: “The Anthony family is expected to retain counsel for the appeal.”
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Court records show Anthony applied for a package known as the TDFA Indigent Package in his appeal a few days after his June 9 murder conviction; Under the Texas Fair Defense Act, the defendant may contact a court-appointed attorney if eligible.
A court sketch shows Karmelo Anthony in a courtroom shortly before jurors began deliberating on June 9, 2026, in Collin County, Texas. (Pat Lopez)
To qualify, the defendant must prove that he or she is not entitled to legal representation. Anthony said in a court document filed on his own that he was “a penniless, destitute and destitute person, too poor to afford an attorney to represent me on appeal.”
WATCH: Austin Metcalf’s father reminisces about son’s childhood
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Fox News Digital previously reported that records showed the Anthony family was connected to several businesses in Louisiana and Texas and even opened a business weeks after their son killed Metcalf.
Despite the appeal process, the Anthony family has yet to speak to the Metcalf family following the verdict, according to Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf.
Meghan Metcalf and her son Hunter speak out after 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was killed in a deadly fight in Frisco, Texas. (Jeff Metcalf/Meghan Metcalf/Fox news)
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“I don’t forget what they did to my son,” Metcalf said in a sit-down interview with Fox News Digital. He continued, “I don’t understand, but I forgave him, and of course the forgiveness was for me, so I don’t carry anger and hatred.“
WATCH: Austin Metcalf’s father says Anthony family hasn’t talked to him yet
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bracamonte Davila and the Anthony family for comment.
