The guilty verdict in the Karmelo Anthony trial handed down by a jury isn’t sitting right with Cardi B and Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
After a Texas jury found Karmel Anthony guilty of “murdering” Austin Metcalf, the Bronx Hip-Hop star took to social media to blast the verdict, calling it “disgusting.”
On X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!”
She also retweeted posts in support of Anthony.
Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the killing of Metcalf, after the jury didn’t buy Anthony’s argument of self-defense. None of the jurors on the case were Black, with Newsweek reporting that there were some people of color, but that didn’t matter.
Jasmine Crockett Kept It All The Way Real About The Karmelo Anthony Verdict
Cardi B wasn’t alone. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett also sounded off about the verdict, and she didn’t mince words on the matter, calling the system “broken” and claiming race definitely played a role in the decision despite lawyers on both sides claiming race was not a factor in this trial.
Per Newsweek:
“Collin County is right north of Dallas County, and I can tell you that I have had cases that I felt like played out differently because of the counties that they were in, and unfortunately that was not the county for a Black boy,” she said.
Crockett said that if Anthony were white and the victim were Black, she doesn’t believe he would have been handed such a lengthy sentence.
“I don’t even know if he would have been convicted, because if a white boy would have said that they were afraid of a Black boy, something tells me that that jury that didn’t have any Black people on it, they would have believed him and his fear,” she said.
She said that given the facts of the case, jurors should have opted for a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Social media has also been sounding off about the verdict, spoiler alert: they agree with Cardi B and Jasmine Crockett.
You can see those reactions below.