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Karmelo Anthony Referred to as 'Watermelon Felon' by Austin Metcalf's Father: Report

Jeff Metcalf said Karmelo Anthony’s parents vanished after a $630,000 crowdfunding page was shut down and accused them of avoiding accountability.

  • Following a Texas judge's decision to lift the gag order, Jeff Metcalf, father of slain teenager Austin Metcalf, criticized the parents of convicted killer Karmelo Anthony during a Wednesday appearance on the "JinxedSip" podcast.
  • A Collin County jury convicted Anthony of murdering Austin at a Frisco, Texas, track meet in April 2025, sentencing him to 35 years in prison on Tuesday after rejecting his self-defense claim.
  • Metcalf labeled Anthony a "watermelon felon" and blasted parents Andrew Anthony and Kala Hayes as "cowards" and "grifters," claiming they abandoned their son after his $630K crowdfunding fund closed.
  • Social media posts garnered nearly 18 million views, while Rapper Cardi B questioned the verdict's fairness given the jury included no Black members in a county where Black residents comprise 12.1% of the population.
  • Anthony has begun the appeal process as his family continues fighting the conviction, further fueling national debate over race, self-defense, and the criminal justice system in America.
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Karmelo Anthony referred to as 'Watermelon Felon' by Austin Metcalf's father: report

The father of the 17-year-old boy killed at a high school track meet in Texas referred to his son's convicted killer, Karmelo Anthony, as a "watermelon felon."

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TMZ broke the news in Los Angeles, United States on Friday, June 12, 2026.
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