Karina Vetrano
Karina Vetrano is pictured in this undated selfie. Instagram Page of Karina Vetrano

The family of Chanel Lewis, who has been accused of rape and murder of Karina Vetrano, claimed that the 20-year-old was being discriminated against after two crowdfunding efforts for the accused killer were blocked. Lewis confessed to sexually assaulting and killing the Queens jogger in August 2016.

Earlier this week, GoFundMe and Fundly confirmed suspending a campaign started by Floyd Jarvis, who has been backing Lewis since he was arrested on Feb. 4. Lewis is set to face a judge on April 3.

The GoFundMe page for Lewis was pulled down as it violated the organization’s terms of service, which bans campaigns for “the defense or support of anyone alleged to be involved in criminal activity,” spokesman Bobby Whithorne said, according to the New York Daily News. The Fundly page was shut down after the website reportedly received a large number of complaints.

According to reports, GoFundMe returned the $800 in donations, while the suspended Fundly account held $1,700.

Responding to the move, family and friends of Lewis, who was arrested this month after his DNA sample matched those recovered from Vetrano's corpse, claimed the fundraising halt wrongly targeted the accused killer.

“We want justice for the Vetrano family, but also due process and fairness for Chanel,” Chris Banks, a community advocate and supporter of Lewis’ family reportedly said Tuesday. “We believe we are discriminated against... He hasn’t even been indicted yet. We want fairness across the board.”

Lewis has been charged with second-degree murder. The case, which has been going on for months, witnessed a breakthrough last month after Vetrano's family requested that a particular kind of familial DNA testing be conducted to help confirm the killer.

The months-long probe into nabbing Vetrano's killer led her family to put together a GoFundMe page to collect donations to be used as a reward for any leads that would help the case. The campaign has so far raised nearly $300,000.

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