Netflix releases 'Kai the Hitchhiker' true crime documentary about Central Jersey murder
CLARK - Kai the Hitchhiker, the Canada man who gained internet fame for using a hatchet to fend off an attack of a California utility worker in 2013 and was later convicted of the murder of a Clark attorney, is the subject of a new true crime documentary.
This week Netflix released "The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker," a nearly 90-minute documentary about Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, 34, who is serving a 57-year prison sentence in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton for the 2013 beating death of a prominent attorney in his Clark home.
The trailer for the film focuses on how McGillvary went from being a hatchet wielding hero in February 2013, whose fame from a YouTube video gained more than 1 million views and led to an appearance as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, to just months later becoming wanted for murder.
Several people on the Official Kai the Hitchhiker Support Group Facebook page expressed support for McGillvary since the documentary's release, while others raised questions about the attorney.
McGillvary's last comment on the page was a 20-second video of a telephone call in which he sends happy New Year wishes while reminding people not to drink and drive. The page also features a recent post of a song by McGillvary.
McGillvary, who was sentenced in 2019, is eligible for parole on Oct. 27, 2061, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections website.
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In August 2021 a state appellate court denied McGillvary's appeal of his murder conviction. At that time McGillvary indicated he planned to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2019 following a four-week trial McGillvary was found guilty of the murder of Joseph Galfy, 73, of Clark, a U.S. Army military veteran and land use attorney who had been a partner with the Rahway-based law firm of Kochanski, Baron and Galfy.
Galfy was found dead, and partially clothed beside the bed, inside his Starlight Drive home in Clark on May 13, 2013. Surveillance footage, digital cell phone data and other evidence led to McGillvary being identified as a suspect in the case. He was arrested in Philadelphia three days after the killing when a coffee shop barista recognized him and contacted law enforcement officials.
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McGillvary claimed self defense when he testified in the trial. A medical examiner, however, said Galfy who had a stent in his chest due to a heart condition, suffered several serious blunt-force injuries to his face, head, neck, chest and arms including facial fractures, four broken ribs, severe contusions, abrasions and bleeding, injuries that contradicted McGillvary.
McGillvary and Galfy met on May 12, 2013 in New York City after the two men had beer and McGillvary was invited to spend the night in Galfy's guest room. He woke up hungover the next morning and that night called Galfy to stay in the guest room again.
When McGillvary woke up the next day, he found Galfy's partially naked body on top of him, McGillvary claimed that Galfy was sexually assaulting him. McGillvary fought Galfy to get away from him, according to McGillvary's Support Group Facebook page.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Netflix releases "Kai the Hitchhiker" true crime documentary about Central NJ murder
