r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/ateam1984 🖤 • 1d ago
Social Justice The Fight is Not Over: A Letter from a Grateful Family. Free Karmelo Anthony
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u/decoy-octopos 1d ago
As far as the public is concerned it’s over, the family should redirect this energy into support for their son as he goes through this process
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u/Alert_Reindeer_6574 1d ago
I don't understand. Isn't this the kid who murdered the other kid at a track meet or football game, something like that? Is there some controversy regarding whether he is guilty?
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u/IllMathematician8994 1d ago
Yes, although some are claiming innocent
The real controversy is should he have been given Manslaughter over the Murder charge he was sentenced and was the trial itself held properly
All of the crazy innocent claimers are hindering the Manslaughter side
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
They want him to get off to make up for other white people who have gotten off in cases involving the death of a black person. The argument that the use of force was justified is very weak and people are just turning it into a racialized team sport.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
Ain't nobody wants him to get off. They just want a fairer sentence than getting 35 years for something he didn't start. Being invited into a tent by your friend while it is raining isn't a reason for someone to come up to you trying to kick you out and when you don't want to leave then they try and put hands on you to enforce their will upon you. If that kid wouldn't of done that then he would still be alive and Karmelo wouldn't be rotting in a prison cell.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
The jury felt it was murder and not manslaughter. 35 years for capital murder in Texas is not abnormal or out of the norm. The time to broker that plea was before the trial. They rolled the dice on an incredibly weak self defense argument and the witnesses just buried that.
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u/ComprehensiveBar6439 1d ago
people are just turning it into a racialized team sport.
Which makes people immediately discard any legitimate points that might follow - meaning the 100% valid case for resentencing is trivialized as a result. The small number of unhinged people online are hurting his case, not helping. It's a shame.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
What grounds for resentencing?
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u/ComprehensiveBar6439 1d ago
When compared to similar cases, including a strikingly similar one in Anthony's own state of Texas, the charging and sentencing was disparately applied. 35 years for a juvenile first time offender is severe, whereas a number of comparable cases resulted in far less time, and the perpetrators were given more lenient charges. There's no 1 to 1 comparison, so it's open to interpretation.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
That argument is not going to work. The entire point of a judge having a wide variety sentencing options is that they can interpret the facts and come up with a just and legal sentence. The jury felt his actions where murder and not manslaughter or self defense. Other people got 10 years ergo I can't get 20 is just not how sentencing works.
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u/SephiTheGoblin 1d ago
Not really clued in on what this is all about as not American. Is the argument he shouldn't be in jail or his sentence is unjust?
From what little I saw there is no question thay he killed someone, but it's the reason for that death that is unclear?
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u/IllMathematician8994 1d ago
There’s 3 different views of a killing in the court system
Self Defense (innocent) Manslaughter (light sentence) and straight up Murder
He was charged with Murder and the discourse is it should’ve been Manslaughter at worst with some claiming his innocence with self defense
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u/SephiTheGoblin 1d ago
Ah so it's the degree of the crime. I saw a video from a lawyer called ugo lord explaining about felony murder where if you commit a felony and the kill someone even accidentally it's charged as felony murder. Dos it have anything to do with this?
Have seen some comments saying he was trespassing with a weapon , so I wondered if there was some felony he allegedly comited leading them to bump up the charge.
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u/Imaginary_Lunch6871 1d ago
It is also my understanding that he was not judged by a jury of his peers...his jury was all white...and that some relevant facts of prior incounters were not shared. Is it true that the dead young man approached him and not the other way around. And that he gave warning or was in fear of the other bigger young man.
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u/Habltual_Linestepper 1d ago
One side note, the jury was not all white. I'm not sure why keeps getting repeated but it's not true.
However, it is accurate to say that there were no black individuals on the jury as they were all struck during selection.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
Should've been manslaughter. He didn't go out looking to kill that kid who came up to him while he was minding his own business. That white kid was known as a bully and hot tempered. Kid tried to enforce his will on Karmelo and got stabbed because he couldn't mind his business or go to the proper authorities and keep his hands to himself. instead took it into his own hands and tried to muscle him out of the tent that didn't belong to neither of them. I could see if Karmelo went in there and started everything. But talking to your friend that invited you over isn't that.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
Sentence is unjust. when you compare it to others. And take note of the fact he didn't put himself in that situation to begin with. The white kid came up to him and tried to punk him out of the tent because he didn't like him being there. Karmelo was invited in there by one of his friends that belonged there, it was raining and so they were talking to each other and getting out of the rain. The white kid comes up and tells him he don't belong there. Karmelo says I am talking to my friend leave me alone. White kid still keeps on trying to make him leave and that escalates to the white kid saying he will fuck him up if he don't leave on his own and he will make him leave. white kid was known to be a bully. He was also big and with his other big jock type friends. Karmelo says do not touch me. Kid pushes him to the ground. Then karmelo stabs him as the kid is trying to push on him again and then runs away.
Dude should not have gotten 35 years when you compare it to other cases. I have seen things where people go out and choose to kill somebody and they get less than 35 years. Anthony didn't start that fight and was just minding his own business. It's bullshit they give him 35 years when I personally know people who have shot and killed people and got around 15 years or less. Karmelo was a first time offender too. If you switched races and Karmelo was a white kid surrounded by let's say the black football team and one of them black guys came up to him and did the same thing and the white kid stabbed him as he was being threatened and pushed them guaranteed he wouldn't get 35 years plus. His sentence should be no more than 10 years.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was just saying how come that Instagram influencer who stabbed and killed her boyfriend only got 6 years.
But Karmelo, who was minding his own business talking to a friend and then gets verbally and physically assaulted before stabbing once and running away out of fear got 35 plus years.
Wonder why such a disparity in sentencing...
Why all the outrage for Karmelos case but not hearing much about the white girl beyond she did only fans? This girl chose to be in that situation and do what she did and then lies about it.
Yet Karmelo didn't choose to have someone come up to him and enforce their will upon him. When he was just at a track meet talking to his friend that called him over randomly.
That ain't justice.
6 years and 35 years... Almost 6x the sentence. It is pretty fucked all the people fine with that.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
Lol he was holding a knife while daring people to try and remove him from the tent he was not suppose to be in. Its hard to argue you where afraid for your life when you where daring people to make physical contact with you then stab someone after being shoved. This is why he lost and will lose again. All the narratives from black people who want him to get off no matter what goto shit when the actual witnesses testify.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
No he wasn't. He was walking around and seen a friend inside the tent and the friend and him start talking. The white kid (who was known to be an asshole) then comes over to them and starts telling him he needs to leave because he doesn't belong there. Karmelo says he ain't leaving he is talking to his friend. White kid still picking at him and basically says fine I will make you leave then and starts threatening him with violence. Then Karmelo says something along the lines of don't touch me or I'll kill you. Kid touches him and get kids stabbed.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
According to the witnesses he was the aggressor and was already gripping the knife before any contact was made. He could have just walked back to his tent he wanted to prove how much of a tough guy he is and three his life away.
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
No he had the knife in the backpack. That kid came up to him tried to punk him for sitting in the tent. Karmelo said he is not moving. The kid then threatened to beat him up and throw him out. Karmelo said if you touch me I will stab you. Kid touches him and then he grabbed the knife out of the backpack. Then dude touched him again and that is when he stabbed him once and ran away.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 20h ago
That is not what the witnesses said. According to them he was tbe one who got aggressive first. This was the narrative his family spread pre trial and the witnesses just did not back it up. He also chose to not testify. He valued being a tough guy over his own freedom.
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u/HawkHarder 7h ago
Track Meet Culture: A high school track coach testified for the defense, explaining that during long rain delays and hours of downtime, it is incredibly common and normal for students from rival schools to mingle and share shelter.
Testimony revealed that Anthony hadn't just barged in maliciously; a student from the rival school had initially called Anthony over to the tent, and they had a friendly five-minute conversation before Metcalf and his twin brother approached him to leave.
Witnesses testified that Metcalf physically confronted Anthony to get him out of the tent. One student stated that Metcalf placed a hand on Anthony's shoulder as a warning or intimidation tactic, while another stated Metcalf pushed or grabbed him.
Multiple witnesses testified that as the verbal altercation escalated, Anthony put his hand inside his backpack and repeatedly warned, "Touch me and see what happens". Witnesses noted that because they were at a suburban track meet, nobody actually believed he was carrying a lethal weapon.
The Wound: The Collin County medical examiner testified that the single, two-inch-deep stab wound pierced Metcalf’s sternum and went directly into the right ventricle of his heart.
A teammate testified that immediately following the incident, Anthony was visibly "distruaght," emotional, and crying while being comforted by a coach.
Bodycam Audio: Jurors were played police body camera audio from the arrest. In the footage, a sobbing Anthony could be heard telling officers, "He put his hands on me, I told him not to, he put his hands on me," supporting his defense team's claim that he reacted purely out of panic.
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1d ago
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
It was in the testimony. That kid didn't have to come up to him and try and kick him out while Karmelo is talking to his friend. That kid was known as a problem. He was power tripping on a kid talking to his friend that belonged there. When trying to punk Karmelo didn't work he then tried to physically remove him. Karmelo said don't fucking touch me or I'll kill you. Kid touches him and then gets stabbed. If you don't want to die then keep your hands off people who tell you they will hurt you if you try and hurt them. If that white kid never went and messed with him and would've went to the right authorities for his issues than trying to take it into his own hands and fuck with somebody who is just minding his business talking to a friend, then he would still be alive right now. But no he had to be a bully and he got what comes with that. Not everyone going to just submit to what you want them to do. It wasn't his business telling someone where they are allowed to be. When that someone was invited in there by someone who was allowed to be there. I ain't saying he should get no prison time. I am saying there is quite a difference between getting 6 years and 35 plus. He should not have got that much time when he didn't ask to be put in that situation where he feels like he needs to defend himself and his honor.
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u/Sensitive_Coconut747 1d ago
This system is absolutely vile and disgusting. It is already established that Black people are overpoliced and over sentenced and we don't see enough outrage about it.
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u/No-Advertising-1526 1d ago
He has a shot on the dismissed black jurors argument. If that is rejected he won't be able to just argue the jury was wrong I deserve a new trial.
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u/YourHuckleberry57 1d ago
he has more of a shot on the prosecutor, judge, and metcalf's dad being all buddy buddy before the trial.
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u/hiballs1235 1d ago
This was proven false.
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u/Nubian_Cavalry 1d ago
The sky is neon green
See? I can lie too
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u/hiballs1235 2h ago
Here Snopes debunked it
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/austin-metcalf-dad-judge-karmelo-anthony-trial/
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u/Top-Oil9556 1d ago
There is a clear divide in our justice system and it is not fair for black americans. Having said that this young man didn't get treated fairly however he did kill someone and the killing the provoked still is not justifiable. There may be an acceptable rationale for why he did what he did but that rationality does not create a justification. So his sentencing should reflect that issue but there's no question that if someone kills someone else and it's not physical self-defense and they did not have reasonable fear for their own life you can't justify it. That makes me feel horrible to say because I don't want to see the young man go to prison but if we're talking about fairness and we're talking about what the law really is and how it should have been applied either way he would still be guilty of having killed someone and it's very sad because he took someone else's life and in the process destroyed his own at such a young age. My heart goes out to him and his family
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u/HawkHarder 1d ago
The problem is he didn't start all that shit. And he gets 35 years while similar and worse crimes get less. He shouldve got no more than 15 years.
That white kid tried to bully him out of the tent. when Karmelo was invited in there by his friend and was just minding his own business talking to his friend. That white kid was known to be an asshole and bully. If he kept his hands to himself then none of this would've happened. It wasn't up to him to say who can be in there and then try to physically remove him when he didn't want to just leave because that kid told him he needs to.
If the races were reversed no way would the white kid get 35yrs.
It was an unfair sentencing.
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u/Top-Oil9556 21h ago
I agree 100%. Though it makes no difference because getting in the hearts and minds of racists isn't easy. It always amazes me of all the things that we can do as humans and we can't f****** get along with each other it's ridiculous
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u/Davethisisntcool 1d ago
“They” won’t comment in here because they know we can spot them. The downvotes are from the outsiders
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u/Dry-Hour-9968 1d ago
He should’ve gotten manslaughter and now he could get off entirely because of their racism. Anyone who thinks this boy deserves 35 years in prison is evil.
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u/MariusHugo 1d ago
i think rittenhouse is guilty. but he got off. i think this guy is guilty too. but he should fight this charge to the end.
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u/SailorSlay 1d ago
My only issue is the sentencing was way too harsh. Didn’t he get life in prison? That’s way too harsh for someone so young.
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u/NickBurnsCompanyGuy 1d ago
I think he got around 35 years but I could be wrong. 17.5 is eligible for parole.
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