The fundraiser for Karmelo Anthony has been taken down after his murder conviction and amid criticism that funds were not used as intended by the fundraising guidelines.

The GiveSendGo fundraising campaign, started by his mother, Kala Hayes, reportedly raised nearly $634,000 of its $1.4 million goal.

The fundraiser has since been scrubbed after Anthony was sentenced to 34 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.

GiveSendGo released a statement regarding the removal of the fundraiser, stating funds raised were “dispersed over the past year for lawful purposes including legal defense and family relocation.” The outlet insisted “a fundraiser has never been an endorsement of a person, their actions, the legal arguments, or their public statements.”

Here’s a statement from @GiveSendGo regarding the Karmelo Anthony fundraiser

They confirm that all funds have been dispersed

They were used to pay for legal fees and for “family relocation” pic.twitter.com/ovDwZFKmrM

— Phil Holloway ✈️ (@PhilHollowayEsq) June 10, 2026

Journalist Sarah Fields has been following Anthony’s case closely and claimed the funds raised, presumably for Anthony’s defense, weren’t even used to pay for his bail as he was allegedly being bankrolled by “advocates.”

As the journalist who reported on this case and paid a high price for it, I’ll tell you that Karmelo did not just k*ll an unarmed white kid.

The family started a GiveSendGo, raising over half a million dollars. They did not even pay for bail; a friend of the advocates did. Their…

— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) December 9, 2025

While the GiveSendGo fundraiser came down, another emerged by Dallas-based civil rights activist Dominique Alexander, according to Fox.

Plenty of X users found the removal of the original fundraiser justified and suspicious:

Every penny donated is subject to recovery by the Metcalf family in a civil wrongful death suit

— Tedex (@chinmarinero) June 10, 2026

This will upset Karmelo Anthony’s family more than the fact he’s been found guilty

— Anthony Galli (@AnthonyGalli) June 10, 2026

Good. And GiveSendGo should issue an apology.

— I’m not an alien, I promise. (@bobpickettsr) June 10, 2026

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