Retiring Rep. Jasmine Crockett's (D., Texas) pastor—who is the Democratic nominee to replace her in the House—referred to convicted killer Karmelo Anthony as a "little boy" and a "friend" on Sunday during a fiery Father's Day sermon at his Dallas church.
Frederick Haynes, the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist and Crockett's longtime spiritual mentor, lamented that Anthony, who is black, is the victim of a racist criminal justice system "that has been working against [black people] for 400 years."
Anthony, now 19 years old, was sentenced to 35 years in prison this month for fatally stabbing 17-year-old football standout Austin Metcalf, who was white, at a Dallas-area track meet in April 2025. Anthony and his defenders have claimed he acted in self-defense, though several witnesses testified that Anthony provoked and insulted several other students before stabbing Metcalf in the heart.
Anthony raised more than $630,000 from supporters via a crowdfunding campaign ahead of his racially charged trial, and rowdy protesters outside the courtroom supported him during his trial and sentencing.
"This boy, our friend, can't even defend himself. We are not safe," Haynes, the Democratic nominee for Texas's 30th Congressional District, said of Anthony. Haynes is running to replace Crockett, a longtime Friendship-West parishioner, in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. Crockett, who also spoke out in support of Anthony after his conviction, has called Haynes her "mentor."
Haynes, who said he attended the Anthony trial, cast Anthony as a defenseless "little boy" and suggested he did not get a fair trial at the hands of an "all non-black jury."
"I sat in that courtroom disgusted because of the fact that the defense did not defend Karmelo Anthony," said Haynes. "I sat there disgusted because the prosecuting attorney then had the nerve to paint Karmelo Anthony as a monster of a man."
"He told that jury of all non-blacks, he said you have an opportunity here in Collin County to determine the kind of community that you want to live in, as he pointed at that little boy who suffers from seizures," Haynes went on. "What do you think he was saying to that all non-black jury?"
The jury that convicted Anthony contained several people of color, but no black jurors. The prosecution used peremptory challenges to strike prospective black jurors, and a judge rejected arguments by the defense that the challenges were racially motivated.
Haynes, considered a heavy favorite against Republican Everett Jackson in November, is no stranger to inflammatory remarks from the pulpit, which he often uses to preach in favor of left-wing politics and social justice causes.
In a sermon on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, Haynes accused Israel of waging "apartheid" in Gaza and suggesting that Hamas attacked the Jewish state in self-defense.
"I recognize that we gotta be pro-Israel … or we get in trouble. Well, I'm coming to get in trouble," said Haynes.
Haynes's views on Israel have landed him support from anti-Israel groups like American Priorities, PAL PAC, and A New Policy PAC, a committee formed by former State Department official Josh Paul. CAIR Action, the campaign arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a pro-Hamas group, has also endorsed Haynes. Those organizations have supported other controversial Democratic House candidates, including Adam Hamawy, who testified in 1995 on behalf of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
Haynes, a longtime friend of former vice president Kamala Harris, is a protégé of some of the country's most polarizing preachers. He has called Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has praised Adolf Hitler and compared Jews to "termites," a "wonderful and great man."
Haynes also says he is a "mentee" of Jeremiah Wright, former president Barack Obama's longtime pastor. Wright's "God damn America" sermon stoked political blowback for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
In 2009, Haynes's executive assistant at Friendship-West accused him of firing her over an affair she struck up with Wright after Wright visited the church. Haynes said in a deposition that he was "not interested" in reading steamy emails that Wright, who was married, sent to his assistant.
The assistant, Elizabeth Payne, suggested in court filings that Haynes may have been having an affair of his own. She said she had opened mail addressed to Haynes that included a photo of a topless woman.
Haynes's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
