The Texas judge who reduced the bail amount for the teen accused of stabbing another teen at a track meet was met with an overwhelming response to her ruling. No, the response was not positive but forced the judge to take her own safety precautions.
Monday, Collin County District Judge Angela Tucker ruled to reduce 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony’s bond from $1 million to $250,000. She considered the reduction based on the teen’s age, lack of criminal history and reputation with the community, per WFAA. Almost immediately after the ruling, the teen was bonded out of jail and free to go home on house arrest as he awaits prosecution for the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
Authorities say on April 2, the two got into a disagreement at a track meet in Frisco which turned physical. Anthony claims Metcalf assaulted him first. Police say Anthony then grabbed a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest before fleeing the scene. Metcalf succumbed to his injuries. Anthony has since asserted that he acted in self-defense but still faces a charge of first-degree murder. Social media boiled into a debate as to whether Anthony was justified in the killing.
On the other hand, Judge Tucker has been facing her own lashing on social media for her decision to decrease the teen’s bond. She’s since placed her social media accounts on private, per DailyMail’s observation. She said only learned of the case when she was assigned to it at random and was only responsible for presiding over the bond hearing, per FOX 4 News. Though, as a result, she said she’s never had the security issues she’s faced with this case.
“I don’t take that lightly at all. I take those things very seriously,” she said during the hearing. “There is no replacement for the loss of life or the loss of a child. I don’t want the family to think a bond amount is connected to the dignity of loss. You cannot make the person come back.”
Since arriving back home, Anthony’s family spokesperson said they’ve been harassed with racist threats and images of Black children with knives in their head, per the DailyMail. It’s not all bad. The teen still managed to raise $425,000 in donations for his legal defense. As of now, his next court date has not been set.