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A PRESS conference hosted by accused teen killer Karmelo Anthony has been thrown into chaos after victim Austin Metcalf’s dad walked in the door.
Anthony, 17, is accused of senselessly stabbing the 17-year-old football star to death at a track meet on April 2.
On Thursday, the two families engaged in a tense standoff after the Anthonys said they wouldn’t speak to reporters until Jeff Metcalf left the building, ABC affiliate WFAA reported.
The briefing had been planned by advocacy group Next Generation Action to clear up rumors about an online fundraiser that’s amassed over $450,000 for the Anthony family.
But it was put on pause when Jeff refused to leave despite Next Generation trying to throw him out and threatening to call the cops, reporters at the scene said.
After just over half an hour, Jeff was escorted out of the news conference by cops.
At the conference, Minister Dominique Alexander, the founder of Next Generation Action, blasted Metcalf’s attendance as a “disrespect to the dignity of his son.”
“Regardless of what was going on, that was disrespectful,” said the pastor.
Alexander clarified that the family hasn’t taken a cent out of the fundraiser money and said the security given to the family was provided by his group.
Anthony’s mother Kayla Hayes then gave a tearful statement and begged viewers to leave their family alone as the investigation into the murder continues.
“We have endured death threats. My 13-year-old daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bedroom because she’s fearful of what might happen to her,” she said.
Hayes then said they haven’t spent any of the donations to buy a new home, and won’t be paid by the fundraiser for several days.
Anthony’s family claimed there was a court order ruling that the families could not interact. However, records show that only Anthony has been banned from being around the Metcalfs.
Anthony did not attend the hearing.
The teen was arrested and held on a $1 million bail, but his family paid to get him out on Monday when the judgment was reduced to $250,000.
Anthony was cuffed when he admitted that he had stabbed Metcalf to death, but now he’s pleaded not guilty to charges and said the attack was self-defense.
The heartless killing has sparked an online firestorm, with supporters of Anthony’s family rushing to donate money to his case.
An online fundraiser for the family amassed $450,000, which they claim is going towards security measures for the teen.
The family has claimed that they’ve been inundated with racist threats, and now fear for their safety.
Once Anthony was sprung from jail, he joined his parents in a $863,000 mansion that they had just started renting.
Neighbors claim that the family has been ordering a flurry of Amazon packages and had a Domino’s pizza delivered to their home, according to the Daily Mail.
In the online fundraiser, Anthony’s family has insisted the fund is “not solely dedicated to legal expenses” and said they were expensing a “safe relocation.”
Anthony allegedly murdered Metcalf after the two got in a fight over a seat, and the teen died in his heartbroken twin brother’s arms, according to police.
Austin’s dad said the attack happened moments after a person sitting behind his sons was “mouthing off.”
Karmelo Anthony’s house arrest
Karmelo Anthony was released on $250,000 bond after a judge reduced it from $1 million on Monday.
Anthony had been in Collin County jail since he was arrested on April 2 and charged with the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf.
The teen is now on house arrest in his parents’ house with an ankle monitor.
He is not allowed to use social media.
He can’t contact Metcalf’s family in any way.
Anthony can only leave his house with prior approval from the court, and he must be supervised by a parent at all times.
He is required to check in with the judge’s bailiff every Friday morning.
Anthony will return to jail if he breaks any of the house arrest conditions.
“They were sitting there, and someone was behind them mouthing off, and they turned around and said, ‘Who are you?'” Jeff told Fox affiliate KDFW.
Since his murder, the heartbroken Metcalf family has had to squash online rumors claiming the son died from a drug overdose after fake autopsy reports circulated online.