The Texas judge who lowered the bond of a teen accused of stabbing another teenager to death at a track meet has faced a flurry of criticism.
Collin County district judge Angela Tucker reduced Karmelo Anthony's bond from $1 million to $250,000 on Monday.Afterward, the judge set her X account private as a torrid of criticism erupted online, The Daily Mail reported.
Anthony is accused of stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf to death during a track meet. NBC News reported that Anthony, a Centennial High School student, was sitting under the Memorial High School track team's tent.
The network reported that according to a witness, Metcalf told Anthony to move, and Anthony immediately opened his bag and put his hand inside, saying, "Touch me and see what happens."
When Metcalf touched Anthony, he was fatally stabbed.
Tucker's decision to reduce the bond sparked debate. Some on social media pointed out that Anthony is innocent until proven guilty, has no criminal record, and has claimed self-defense. Others have said that he brought a weapon onto school property, which is itself a crime, and stabbed a student to death who was unarmed.
Tucker, a Republican, and Anthony are both black, and Metcalf is white. In the comment section of one social media post, the racial overtones of the case were evident. For example, one commenter wrote, "Call me a racist, I don't care but this is blatant black protecting black, and in 76 years, I have never uttered those words."
Other social media posts defended the judge: "In America, ALL defendants have a right to trial and the ability to build their case from outside. Anyone who says other wise is: 1. Ignorant of the process. 2. Ignoring the process to feed their bias. Why are YOU fake outraged over Judge Tuckers decision?"
