The mother of Karmelo Anthony spoke out for the first time after the teen was charged with murder in the stabbing of another student at a Texas high school track meet.

The social justice organization Next Generation Action Network, which is advocating for Anthony, held a press briefing with his parents in Dallas on Thursday to address the case, including threats the family said they have received since the April 2 stabbing.

“In the wake of this tragic incident, our family has been under attack,” Anthony’s mother, Kala Hayes, said. “Whatever you think what happened … my three younger children, my husband and I didn’t do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about.”

“The lies and their amplification put my family in danger, as well as everyone in our community, everyone involved in the investigation from the police, the attorneys and the court staff,” she added.

The mother of Karmelo Anthony, Kala Hayes, speaks during a press briefing with the Next Generation Action Fund in Dallas, April 17, 2025.

Hayes said her husband had to take a leave of absence from his job “because he’s afraid what may happen to our family.”

“His mental health is deteriorating,” she said, getting emotional during her remarks. “Day by day, we have endured death threats.”

The deadly stabbing occurred at a Frisco Independent School District stadium on April 2 during a track and field championship involving multiple schools in the district.

Anthony, a student at Frisco Centennial High School, was charged in the murder of Austin Metcalf, 17, an 11th grader at Frisco Memorial High School who police said was stabbed during an altercation in the bleachers at the meet.

Minister Dominique Alexander, the president and CEO of the Next Generation Action Network, chastised “conservative operatives” who he said have been “posting nonstop about this case.”

“It is outright disrespectful,” he said during the briefing.

Alexander said there has been “misinformation” in particular regarding a fundraiser in support of the Anthony family through GiveSendGo, which has raised more than $458,000.

“Let’s be clear — the family has not received one dime,” he said. “But we saw on Twitter, we saw on Facebook and so many different things, of the false lavish life of this family — $800,00 home, purchased Escalade and private security.”

Minister Dominique Alexander, the president and CEO of the Next Generation Action Network, speaks during a press conference with the parents of Karmelo Anthony in Dallas, April 17, 2025.

Alexander said the organization’s security detail escorted Anthony when he was released from jail on Monday.

“Since this tragedy unfolded, the Anthony family has been subject to unimaginable amount of hate, racism, threats to their safety,” he said. “This is not just about Karmelo, this is about the family that dared to stand and demand justice. Let me be loud and clear, we are not scared. We are not moving. We will not be silent.”

Hayes also said the family has not used the funds to buy a home and has yet to receive any of the donations.

“I don’t know why we are being targeted and discriminated against before a fair trial. Our son deserves the same rights under the law that everyone is afforded to,” she said.

On the stabbing incident, she said there is an “active investigation that everyone involved wants to be full and fair.”

“We believe in the legal process and that is where the truth will come out,” she said. “To the family who experienced the loss, my heart truly goes out to you. To those who have supported my family, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We ask for your continued support, patience and prayers as we navigate this difficult process.”

Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, showed up at the press briefing, though he was escorted out by police officers before it began and left without incident. Alexander called his presence “disrespectful.”

“He knows that it’s inappropriate to be near this family, but he did it,” Alexander said.

Anthony was initially held on $1 million bond. During a hearing on Monday, a Collin County judge set his bond at $250,000, online court records show. He was released from the Collin County Jail that day, online jail records show.

The booking photo for Karmelo Anthony.

As part of his bond conditions, he has been ordered to be on house arrest, be supervised by a parent or designated adult at all times and have no contact with Metcalf’s family, according to court records. He also needs prior court approval to leave the house and must check in with the court bailiff weekly until the case is indicted into a different court, the court records show.

Judge Angela Tucker said she considered several factors in setting the new bond amount, including Anthony’s age, lack of past criminal history and close ties to the community, Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reported.

The stabbing occurred under the Memorial High School tent in the stadium bleachers at approximately 10 a.m., according to the arrest report.

Responding officers said they spoke to multiple witnesses, including one who reported the altercation began after Metcalf told Anthony to move out from under their team’s tent, according to the arrest report.

The witness reported that Anthony allegedly reached inside his bag and said, “Touch me and see what happens,” according to the arrest report.

Austin Metcalf in handout photo.

Metcalf grabbed Anthony to move him, according to a witness, and Anthony allegedly pulled out what the witness described as a black knife and “stabbed Austin once in the chest and then ran away,” the arrest report stated.

Anthony allegedly confessed to the killing and officers say he told them he was protecting himself, according to the arrest report.

ABC News has reached out to Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, for comment on the case but has not received a response.

Alexander said Thursday the family has been notified by Frisco ISD of their intent to expel Anthony from school a month before his high school graduation, a move he said they plan to challenge.

Frisco ISD told ABC News it cannot comment on a student’s disciplinary record due to student privacy laws.

The district said if a student is charged with a serious crime — a Title V felony — it looks at the case and weighs any discipline, and the student and their parents will get a letter on what the school recommends.

“If the school recommends expulsion, which means the student is removed from school, the student is not allowed to go on any Frisco ISD property while the decision is being made,” the district said in a statement. “A meeting will be held where the student can share their side of the story and show any evidence. After the meeting, the District will decide whether to go through with the expulsion and will let the student and parents know.”

Expelled students can finish their education through a special program or, if able, the district may allow them to graduate early.