The warning that “crime doesn’t pay” is surely true — in the spiritual sense, that is. Yet the material one may be a different matter, especially in this time in which villainy is confused with virtue. A recent example is healthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione, whose crowdfunding donations have reached close to $1 million.
An even more recent example is Karmelo Anthony. Anthony is the 17-year-old who brutally stabbed to death fellow teen Austin Metcalf over what should’ve been a minor seating dispute. The incident occurred April 2 at a high-school track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
As with Mangione — whose crime was caught on video — there’s no disputing Anthony’s guilt. In fact, when the police labeled him the suspected perpetrator, he reportedly replied, “I’m not a suspect; I did it.” (He unabashedly claims self-defense, even though the case’s particulars say otherwise.) One difference between the killings, though, is that while Mangione had a political motive, Anthony’s case has a racial component. Anthony is black; Metcalf was white.
Another difference is that Anthony’s family is apparently quite shameless about parlaying their son’s crime into a payday. It’s not using money donated for Karmelo’s legal defense for a new house, car, and other luxuries, either. This they have done.
(Note: The Anthonys have raised almost half as much as the Mangiones in approximately one-ninth the time. White privilege, anyone?)
It’s also that, unbelievably, the family is now reportedly marketing murderer merch.
A New Kind of “American Dream”?
Now, you might think that since the Anthonys want to keep their son out of prison, they’d be image-conscious. This would mean that even if you were materialism-driven, you’d suppress the bling ambitions until the teen’s case was adjudicated. Apparently, though, “delaying gratification” doesn’t figure prominently in the family’s vocabulary. According to the Daily Mail:
The teenager is now hunkered down in a Frisco home located on Mercedes Lane that his family is renting for an estimated price tag of $3,500 a month, according to Zillow. [Note: Some sources claim they bought the house.]
When DailyMail.com visited the home Tuesday, a white Suburban, a black Acura and a third sedan were parked in the driveway.
One resident told DailyMail.com the family just purchased a new vehicle.
The lavish lifestyle is in stark contract [sic] to the cash struggles Anthony’s father, Andrew Anthony, claimed to have in court Monday, where the parent claimed he was the sole breadwinner.
And the Grift Gets a Lift
As mentioned, however, the grift has gotten even more brazen. According to commentator Olivia Murray, some family members are
now selling merchandise with the teen killer’s image and setting up a website where you can no doubt continue to financially support the Anthony family as they live out their ghetto rags-to-riches lifestyle.
Murray then presents the following relevant tweet:
NEW: Karmelo Anthony’s family and friends are now selling “FreeMelo” shirts with his face on them
Karmelo’s cousin was seen wearing the shirt after his release
“No more Free Melo… lil cuz is home… God Is Good,” said cousin Randolph Hayes on FB
Karmelo’s connection to… pic.twitter.com/sknN1yAryc— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) April 16, 2025
Yet the chutzpah goes further still. Murray later informs that the story
doesn’t end with the commercialization of criminality, as Anthony’s fixer, the Minister Dominique Alexander, is embracing Anthony’s celebrity status, and just released a “point-of-view” video to social media, acting like they’re A-listers.
Karmelo Anthony admitted to st*bbing to d*ath Austin Metcalf.
Since then:
– DEI judge reduces bail a lot and releases Karmelo
– Karmelo buys a new house and new car
– Over $447k is donated to him
– Merch is sold in his name
There is systemic racism. It’s not against blacks. pic.twitter.com/RHgp9CIUtk— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 16, 2025
Murray then adds:
Alexander is himself, an absolute ghetto thug in his own right, with “a long criminal history, including a felony conviction for injury to a child [a two-year-old]” and reports of serious domestic violence to his name … like throwing his girlfriend into a piece of furniture so hard he broke her foot.
Even more outrageously, Alexander just attacked (video below) Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, for attending an Anthony family press conference. This is despite the fact that Jeff has already forgiven Karmelo for killing his son.
Insanity. Dominique Alexander, who represents Karmelo Anthony, just attacked Austin Metcalf’s father Jeff for attending a press conference held by the Anthony family, calling his presence “a disrespect to the dignity of his son.”
This is revolting. pic.twitter.com/j6Hnsb8e95— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 17, 2025
Responding to this, the tweeter below makes quite the point.
Serious question. Why is it inappropriate for the victim’s father to be there?— Bro-bra-ham Lincoln (@USAEnthusiast) April 17, 2025
The Other Side
In fairness (something the Anthonys’ behavior doesn’t exactly inspire), the family has their side of the story. First, they say the house rental, in a gated community, was necessary for security reasons because they’ve received death threats. This is plausible and, in truth, $3,500 a month for a home thus situated may not be exorbitant.
Yet the family had also requested the aforementioned bail reduction. As to this, the Daily Mail further reports:
Prosecutors grilled [father Andrew] Anthony over why he could not use the … donated funds for his son’s defense to pay the $1 million bond the judge had set. [It was later reduced to $250,000.]
Andrew told the court that he has no access to the donated funds and instead planned to use the money for his son’s legal defense.
While this may be true, money is fungible. And what’s the excuse for financing a bling lifestyle via killer Karmelo’s newfound infamy?
America 2.0 Has Got to Go
Yet far more troubling is what the case says about 2025 America. For starters, could you imagine the judicial and media response if the killing’s races had been reversed? And note here the case’s reported particulars:
- Anthony was in a tent designated for students of Metcalf’s school.
- He was carrying a weapon.
- When Metcalf asked him to leave, he refused and became belligerent.
- The confrontation escalated, and Anthony dared Metcalf to touch him, goading the other boy.
- When Metcalf did touch him, Anthony drew a knife and plunged it into Metcalf’s chest, killing him.
For the record, the disproportionate force used is enough to disqualify a legitimate self-defense claim. You also, however, lose such recourse when you provoke a victim to action to provide a pretext for using a concealed weapon. Below is attorney and journalist Megyn Kelly mentioning this and more in a recent analysis.
To sum up, the boys’ confrontation would’ve led in saner times to fisticuffs and maybe a black eye, at most. Plunging a knife into someone’s heart over a petty dispute is barbarically animalistic.
Add to this that Metcalf (picture below), an identical twin, was reportedly a model student.
As a black man, I don’t approve of other black people cheering on the death of Austin Metcalf because of his skin color
Austin was more than just a white boy. He was someone’s son, friend, nephew and brother. He was a human and he should still be alive pic.twitter.com/kgVaOUa2zS— Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) April 15, 2025
On a more positive note, along with Jeff Metcalf’s forgiveness, there’s political analyst Rob Smith’s reaction. He’s so taken aback by the world’s Alexanders that he has issued “An Apology … On Behalf Of The Black Community” (below).
An Apology To The Parents Of Austin Metcalf On Behalf Of The Black Community: pic.twitter.com/OWUnfoXpHm— Rob Smith (@robsmithonline) April 17, 2025
Of course, who really should apologize are those in mainstream media, academia, and entertainment. For decades they’ve been playing the race card, stoking anti-white hatred, and peddling anger-inducing revisionist history. They have plenty of blood on their hands because of this, too — Austin Metcalf is just the latest example.
Selwyn Duke (@SelwynDuke) has written for The New American for more than a decade. He has also written for The Hill, Observer, The American Conservative, WorldNetDaily, American Thinker, and many other print and online publications. In addition, he has contributed to college textbooks published by Gale-Cengage Learning, has appeared on television, and is a frequent guest on radio.
