They raised cash online to prove his innocence. Then the jury called him a killer.

GiveSendGo took down the campaign for Karmelo Anthony shortly after a court convicted him of murder.

When someone is accused of a crime, friends often turn to the internet to fund a defense. But what happens to that digital support when a jury decides they are guilty?

WHAT HAPPENED

Karmelo Anthony was on trial for murder. His supporters set up a page on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo to help pay for his legal fight.

After the trial ended, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Shortly after that decision, the fundraising page disappeared from the website.

The platform changed the status of the campaign to "unpublished." This means the public can no longer see the page or donate money to it.

WHAT THE MONEY/EVIDENCE SHOWS

The fundraising page was hosted on the site GiveSendGo.

• The page was created to support Karmelo Anthony during his murder trial.
• A jury found Anthony guilty of the murder charges.
• The campaign page was taken down and marked "unpublished" after the verdict.
• It is not clear how much money was raised before the page was removed.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

Crowdfunding sites have become the new legal defense funds for high-profile suspects. But these platforms often struggle to draw the line between helping someone get a fair trial and hosting campaigns for convicted criminals.

Should a website profit from fees on funds raised for someone who is later found guilty of a violent crime? We need to ask how these platforms decide when to step in and when to stay out of the legal system.

THE OTHER SIDE

Supporters of online defense funds argue that everyone has the right to a fair trial and legal help. They believe taking down pages hurts the families who are left to deal with the bills.

However, once a jury delivers a guilty verdict, the presumption of innocence is gone, making it hard for platforms to keep the pages active.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

This decision shows that tech platforms are feeling the pressure to police their own sites. Families who rely on online donations for legal appeals may find it harder to keep their campaigns online.

As more high-profile cases go to trial, we will likely see more websites quietly removing pages to avoid public backlash.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW

1. How much money did the campaign raise before GiveSendGo took it down?
2. Will the money already raised be returned to the donors, or has it already been spent on legal fees?
3. What specific policy did GiveSendGo use to decide to unpublish the page?