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True Crime We Binged successful 2022
This communicative contains mentions of intersexual unit and abuse.
Stop america if you've heard this one: Social media crowns a caller hero, ensuring ubiquity for nevertheless agelong the Internet's corporate attraction span holds... lone to beryllium tremendously fto down due to the fact that the idiosyncratic erstwhile lionized is not who they thought.
Cue the reckoning.
The Netflix documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker tells specified a cautionary tale. Though the communicative of Caleb Lawrence McGillivary, aka Kai, the self-described "home-free" nomad who infiltrated the zeitgeist for a fewer weeks in 2013 aft a random enactment of heroism (or was it...), isn't conscionable astir a feline who went viral overnight and yet proved unable to grip the attention.
Actually, Kai handled his fame the mode helium approached everything else—appearing to not give AF. Combined with his surfer-dude demeanor, philharmonic endowment and Robin Hood-style altruism (he'd shoplift a cartful of goods and springiness it each away), his was a mode of beingness that inevitably attracts admirers. Mostly from a harmless region via likes connected YouTube, but besides from youngsters who'd flock to him once their phones had pinged with Kai's determination status, beryllium it a section nine oregon the nationalist library.
Only hindsight is 20/20, of course, arsenic the writer who fundamentally discovered Kai and the handful of radical who sensed there was thing disconnected (but besides thought he was premier late-night speech amusement and reality-TV material) admit successful the doc.
But adjacent after the communicative of Kai's 15 minutes and their shocking aftermath has been told, similar with immoderate bully motivation quandary, uncertainty remains whether what happened was inevitable oregon if his brushwood with notoriety spiraled into thing worse.
Netflix
How did Kai go the "Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker"?
It each started successful Fresno, Calif.
On Feb. 1, 2013, Jett McBride steered his car right into PG&E worker Rayshawn Neely, pinning him against his ain truck. Bystanders rushed toward the scene, and erstwhile Tonya Baker tried to assistance Neely, McBride—calling himself Jesus Christ and yelling racist slurs, according to witnesser accounts—started attacking her and Neely, a Black man.
"The nonstop words helium utilized were 'All the [expletive] have to go, person to dice now,'" Baker testified astir McBride during a Feb. 22 pretrial hearing.
Out of the backmost of McBride's car and into the melee jumped a lanky feline wearing a backpack, his agelong curly hairsbreadth held backmost from his look with a bandanna. In his manus was a hatchet, which helium utilized to hit McBride 3 times, putting an extremity to the fight, aft which constabulary showed up and arrested McBride.
Netflix
"Not to stereotype, but helium looked similar a stateless hitchhiker," Jessob Reisbeck, the newsman who interviewed the improbable leader for Fresno's Fox 26 News, recalled successful The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker. Normally connected the sports desk, Reisbeck was conscionable lending a manus to the shorthanded quality squad that time erstwhile helium got the scoop of his life.
The chap said his sanction was Kai. Asked if helium had a past name, helium replied with a smile, "No, bro, I don't person anything." His reply to however aged helium was: "[Shrug] I can't telephone it."
In recounting what happened, Kai told Reisbeck, "Before I accidental thing else, I wanna say, nary substance what you've done, you merit respect. Even if you marque mistakes, you're lovable, and it doesn't substance your looks, skills, oregon age, size, oregon anything, you're worthwhile. No 1 tin ever instrumentality that distant from you."
But erstwhile helium saw the operator of the car he'd hitched a thrust with wailing connected that woman, "I f--king ran up down him with a hatchet. [Miming swings] Smash, smash, suh-mash!" Twice with the blunt end, and erstwhile with the blade, arsenic a detective aboriginal detailed.
Kai reasoned, "If I hadn't person done that helium would person killed much people."
Netflix
The bundle aired connected the quality that night, a quirky section story—but after Reisbeck uploaded the full six-minute interrogation to YouTube, a prima was born.
Long communicative short, everyone wanted a portion of Kai, which Reisbeck knew due to the fact that helium was the lone 1 with his email address, truthful everyone was reaching retired to him hoping to get successful touch.
Instead, Reisbeck headed to Stockton—a two-hour-plus thrust from Fresno—to interrogation Kai, the 24-year-old amiably introducing the unit to his likewise unhoused pals, showing disconnected his singer-songwriter skills and amiably answering questions with a operation of rambling tangents and disturbing anecdotes.
At 1 constituent the writer compared him to Batman, lone without the signal, to which Kai added, "And I'm not a filthy rich, spoiled f--k who looks down connected everyone."
In the Netflix doc, Alex Aguirre, the cameraman who was with Reisbeck, called Kai a "loose cannon" with a "weird vigor astir him" that made it intolerable to cognize what helium was going to bash next.
How did Kai the viral hitchhiker extremity up on Jimmy Kimmel Live?
But with Stephen Colbert already having made his stock of hatchet-wielding hitchhiker quips on The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel Live wanted Kai successful person.
And after getting kicked retired of Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel for skateboarding successful the lobby and peeing connected the motion successful beforehand of Jimmy Kimmel's studio, Kai made his debut connected the amusement connected Feb. 11, 2013, successful a hitchhiking skit, aft which the big talented him a surf committee and wetsuit. (Kimmel besides gave Kai $500, which helium promptly gave to a information defender and apologized for peeing outside.)
ABC
Kimmel besides bantered with Reisbeck, who was successful the audience, during his monologue, asking what was going done his caput arsenic helium started interviewing Kai.
"To support him talking, for one," the newsman said. "'Cause he was spitting retired axenic gold, arsenic you tin tell."
When Kimmel cracked whether, astatine this point, he would just discontinue from journalism, Reisbeck volleyed back, "Is that an offer?"
From the outside, Kai's quality was an infectious success, so the JKL team asked him to travel backmost the adjacent time for a spot called "Kai's' Korner Movie Review."
But arsenic Brad Mulcahy, the show's quality involvement producer, recalled successful the Netflix doc, it was intolerable to get Kai to focus.
What happened to Jett McBride, the feline Kai smashed with his hatchet?
Before showtime connected Feb. 11, L.A. Sheriff's deputies had showed up astatine the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, wherever JKL is taped, and concisely detained Kai connected behalf of Fresno police, who had been looking for him successful bid to get his connection astir the onslaught connected Feb. 1. They dropped him backmost disconnected 30 minutes earlier the taping.
Though Kai yet wasn't disposable to attest successful idiosyncratic astatine McBride's month-long trial (more connected that later), prior comments helium made astir the incidental were allowed into evidence.
"I could spot helium was going to drawback her and I grabbed the tomahawk from wrong that bag," Kai testified during the Feb. 22 proceeding (after the tribunal finally got him to rise his close manus alternatively of his near erstwhile being sworn in), recalling what helium saw McBride doing to Baker aft helium deed Neely with his car. "I looked astatine him and I says, 'Get the f--k distant from her.'"
In January 2014, McBride was found not blameworthy of attempted murder, but was convicted of two counts of battle with a deadly weapon, for hitting some Neely and different PG&E worker, with enhancements of using a car arsenic a limb and causing superior injury.
A assemblage subsequently determined, however, that McBride was not of dependable mind when helium committed those crimes.
The Netflix doc notes that helium was sentenced to 9 years successful a intelligence wellness facility, but his defence lawyer Scott Baly told MovieMaker after the movie premiered that his lawsuit was really remanded to Atascadero State Hospital, wherever helium yet served 4 oregon 5 years. McBride is presently a escaped man, according to Baly.
Three weeks aft going viral, Kai was backmost successful Fresno to execute astatine a nine erstwhile helium allegedly told musician Gabriel Francisco and others that helium had slipped McBride a laced joint, soon aft which the operator freaked retired and attacked Neely. But a toxicology study recovered thing but marijuana successful McBride's system.
"Anything's possible," Baly said of Kai's assertion astir slipping McBride drugs. "The occupation is, thing helium says is conscionable unreliable."
Netflix
Was Kai a unfortunate of battle and abuse?
Falling done the cracks astatine the clip were comments Kai made—on camera—to Reisbeck and others astir convulsive encounters, arsenic good arsenic disturbing Facebook posts (seen successful the documentary) that seemed to bespeak his idiosyncratic cognition of kid abuse.
"This 1 clip I was successful an orchard and this f--king feline started beating connected a woman," Kai recalled successful the archetypal Fresno interview, and his effect was to start "smashing him successful the head."
He besides said astatine the clip that helium didn't person immoderate family, that "as acold arsenic anyone I grew up with is concerned, I'm already dead."
Talking to Reisbeck successful Stockton, Kai alleged that he'd been attacked and raped by a antheral erstwhile helium was 17. And, Kai said, erstwhile helium was a kid helium was locked successful a cage for 4 years.
In the documentary, his mother, Shirley, says determination was a "short period" erstwhile she took measures to halt Caleb (her son's existent name) from getting up excessively early so helium wouldn't "get into worldly that could harm him" erstwhile helium was precise young. She doesn't specify what she did, but says she "never locked him successful a room."
Shirley (who did not privation her past sanction used successful the doc oregon successful media reports regarding her son) spoke from Canada, wherever Kai was born—as opposed to West Virginia, where Kai erstwhile told Reisbeck helium was from.
A cousin, Jeremy McGillivary Wolfe, said successful the doc that helium remembered Caleb not being allowed to spell retired to play, arsenic helium was, and having to enactment inside.
And then, Jeremy said, Caleb—whose parents divorced erstwhile helium was 4—was sent to a location for wayward kids aft helium tried to commencement a location fire at 13.
"He was successful attraction homes until helium turned 18 and past they chopped him escaped and washed their hands of him," dad Gil McGillivary told the New Jersey Star-Ledger in May 2013, describing his son's beingness arsenic "tough." "Caleb made accusations that helium was physically and mentally abused astatine 1 of the homes. The strategy fto my lad down."
Caleb and helium were once precise close, Gil said, but helium mislaid custody aft helium and Shirley divorced. Remarried with 3 children, helium said he last saw Caleb when his lad showed up "unannounced" to walk Christmas astatine Gil's location successful December 2010.
He talked to his lad soon aft helium went viral arsenic Kai, Gil continued, but "Caleb didn't privation to person thing to bash with me. He thought I was trying to get into the nationalist notoriety of his emergence to fame due to the fact that of being his dad. That wasn't the mode it was going to happen, but I respected his wishes due to the fact that he's an adult."
Shirley told the work that Caleb was a precocious schoolhouse postgraduate and a "delight" arsenic a small boy, but she hadn't spoken to him since the autumn of 2012. She wasn't definite erstwhile helium had crossed the borderline into the U.S. She besides said that what helium had written connected Facebook astir being abused arsenic a kid by household members was untrue and a motion of a temper upset (though she disagreed with Gil's assertion that Caleb had ADHD).
"He has a household that misses him," Shirley said. "He has a household that loves him. There person been immoderate attempts, but we person nary mode of contacting him. He knows my number. My fig hasn't changed. If helium calls and wants our help, we're determination for him."
She thought Caleb mightiness request assistance because, by then, her lad was successful jailhouse connected suspicion of murder.
Who was viral hitchhiker Kai accused of killing?
On May 13, 2013—barely 3 months aft Kai went viral—a 73-year-old lawyer named Joseph Galfy was recovered beaten to decease successful his underwear successful his Clark, N.J., home.
The adjacent day, Kai posted connected Facebook, "what would you bash if you woke up with a groggy head, metallic sensation successful your mouth, successful a strangers house… walked to the reflector and seen [semen] dripping from the broadside of your look from your mouth, and started wretching, realizing that idiosyncratic had drugged, raped and blown their f--kin load successful you? what would you do?"
After uncovering a portion of insubstantial that said "Lawrence Kai" and a telephone fig astatine Galfy's house, investigators Googled the sanction and wondered if the results—"Kai the hatchet wielding hitchhiker"—had thing to bash with their case. A bid summons besides recovered astatine the country prompted them to cheque surveillance footage astatine the station, wherever Galfry appeared to manus a summons to and hug a feline who, from the back, looked similar Kai.
Netflix
Once detectives released his sanction and picture, it lone took until May 16 for authorities to drawback up with Kai astatine a Greyhound presumption successful Philadelphia. He had chopped his hair, but investigators had seen photos of his caller look taken by a miss he'd met connected Facebook and hung retired with successful the interim.
"I've been advised by an lawyer not to accidental thing to you guys," helium told reporters arsenic helium was being led into a New Jersey jailhouse successful handcuffs. "I'd conscionable similar to accidental convey you to each the supporters."
Talking to investigators (per footage included successful the documentary), Kai said that helium was hanging retired successful Times Square successful New York erstwhile Galfy approached him and offered him a meal. They ended up eating takeout and watching TV astatine Galfy's house, and helium spent the night. When Kai woke up, helium said, helium felt similar he'd been orally raped.
Mel Evans/AP/Shutterstock
Galfy bought him a bid summons the adjacent day, Kai said, but aft his friends didn't amusement up to conscionable him successful Asbury Park, helium called the lawyer and asked if helium could spell backmost to his place.
Galfy made burgers and they drank a fewer beers, Kai told detectives, and past astatine immoderate constituent helium woke up connected the level to find Galfy, successful his underwear, "trying to propulsion down my pants."
And past helium conscionable snapped, Kai said. He noted that helium didn't retrieve what precisely helium did, but figured helium indispensable person deed Galfy successful the head.
Though the Internet was inactive ablaze with debates implicit whether "Kai" did it oregon not, implicit with a "Free Kai Caleb Lawrence" Change.org petition, McGillivary was charged with murder. He maintained helium acted successful self-defense.
Where is Kai, the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker now?
At McGillivary's trial, which didn't get underway until 2019, the Union County aesculapian examiner testified that Galfy had blunt-force injuries to his face, head, neck, chest, and arms, including 3 skull fractures and 4 breached ribs—much of it indicative of being stomped to death.
On April 24, McGillivary was recovered blameworthy of first-degree execution and sentenced to 57 years successful prison a fewer weeks later.
Netflix
A New Jersey authorities appellate tribunal denied his appeal—which argued that the grounds presented astatine proceedings didn't enactment a conviction, the justice made errors and helium had ineffective counsel—in August 2021.
In their ruling, the appellate judges rejected his insistence that helium was defending himself from being sexually assaulted, penning that Galfy was an older man, "smaller successful stature than defendant, and the severity and fig of his injuries supported the jury's conclusions that suspect knew his actions created important hazard of death, oregon that helium was alert that decease was practically definite to result.
"The repeated crushing blows demonstrated defendant's intent to origin superior bodily injury."
McGillivary, who's serving his clip successful New Jersey State Prison, had written successful a blog station a period earlier, per MyCentralJersey.com, that rejecting his entreaty "would beryllium an unfastened (and VERY public) admittance that the corruption successful the Union County judiciary extends to the full state." He vowed that, if helium lost, he'd instrumentality his lawsuit each the mode to the U.S. Supreme Court.
For much existent transgression updates connected your need-to-know cases, caput to Oxygen.com.
