A supporter of convicted killer Karmelo Anthony has reportedly been fired following public comments made after his murder conviction, as other backers of Anthony continue to face backlash over remarks tied to the case and trial outcome. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison on June 9 after a jury found him guilty in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

Since the verdict, Anthony’s supporters have questioned the outcome, often on racial grounds, with some arguing he acted in self-defense, a claim rejected by the jury during trial proceedings, and others arguing that the jury was biased.

Donna Robinson, a parole supervisor with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, was reportedly fired after making “inflammatory” comments. According to reporting from the Dallas Morning News, Robinson made comments that led to her termination on Facebook following the sentencing. “I’m just glad we didn’t have to bury another Black child,” Robinson wrote. “Let them start burying some of theirs for a change. FK’em I said what I said.”
 

“These statements are incompatible with TDCJ policy and values. They demonstrate bias and a lack of the impartiality essential to the fair administration of justice in Texas,”  a TDCJ spokesperson said in a statement to the Morning News. “Discriminatory or inflammatory conduct that erodes public confidence in the criminal justice system will not be tolerated.” 

In the post, Robinson, who identified herself as a TDCJ employee, wrote that “Karmelo will be ok he I can almost assure you he will be protected on the inside.” She added, “I for one don’t give a fk about the family’s loss.” 

Additional commentary from supporters and academics has also drawn scrutiny in the aftermath of the verdict.

Howard University professor Stacey Patton published an opinion piece on Substack titled “Dear Jeff Metcalf: Your Son Is Dead Because You Failed to Teach Him That Black Boys Have Boundaries,” which attributed responsibility for the killing to the victim.

W. Burlette Carter, professor emerita of law at George Washington University, posted criticism of the trial on X, arguing Anthony was denied a proper jury composition and should receive a new trial. “Karmelo Anthony was entitled to a jury of his peers. He did not get that. On that ground alone, he is entitled to a new trial. Minorities are not interchangeable. The prosecutor’s reported proffered reasons for striking all black jurors —that they were teachers—appears to be pretext. Anthony needs a new lawyer on appeal and in a new trial.”