Kai, the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, Is He a Hero or a Murderer?
True Crime
I was looking at some posts I made on my Facebook page, and it brought me as far back as 2013. In it, I saw a post about Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, and when I googled what happened to him, I was left with this question
Is He a Hero or a Murderer?
Caleb McGillivary, or Kai as we know him
Kai became an online sensation in 2013 when he was interviewed after he helped save a woman being attacked by a deranged man who called himself "Jesus Christ."
The interview was done by Jessob Reisbeck, who at that time worked as a reporter for the KMPH local station, and in 24 hours, that interview skyrocketed. Caleb McGillvary or McGillivary or Kai became an online sensation.
Jett Simmons McBride or "Jesus Christ"
What was Kai doing with Jett Simmons McBride, the man who claims to be "Jesus Christ" and the guy who ran over some Pacific Gas & Electric workers? And when that wasn't enough, a woman who tried to wedge herself between the injured man and Jett Simmon McBride was attacked. Kai came with a hatchet "smashed" the guy that saved the woman's life.
Smash smash smash
Jessob Reisbeck made nothing out of the encounter and the interview, but a day after posting the interview video online, people began to ask, "Who is Kai?" It garnered over 400,000 views overnight.
“Before I say anything else, I want to say no matter what you done, you deserve respect,”
“Even if you make mistakes, you lovable. And it doesn’t matter your looks, skills or age, your size, or anything, you’re worthwhile. No one can ever take that away from you.” — Kai said in the interview.
Whatever it was, people saw something in him; it could be his colorful language, his demeanor on cam, or the mystery he left for the viewers, as people wanted to know more about the man behind Kai, the hitchhiker.
The viral video reached Kai's family in Alberta, Canada, who is a star to the outside world. But to them, Kai is their missing child, son, and brother.
As Kai became more famous, he could have become a reality TV star, the same producers behind the Kardashian show wanted to make a reality TV show about him, but that deal fizzled out.
Although he agreed to a Jimmy Kimmel Live guesting, he would get weed only because producers promised Kai.
It only shows that the producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live thought of Kai as a commodity and didn't even think that Kai needed help as anyone would have seen him as a man with some deep mental problems.
But for Hollywood, everyone is a ticket to ratings, and Kai became a spectacle on late-night TV.
Joseph Galfy murder
A few months after being famous, Kai met Joseph Galfy, a 73-year-old lawyer he met in Time Square one day before Mother's Day in May 2013. Joseph Galfy offered Kai a place to stay at his home in Newports.
A Facebook post believed to be from Kai led many people to think that he committed a crime.
“what would you do if you woke up with a groggy head, metallic taste in your mouth, in a strangers house” — Kai on Facebook
Days later, McGillivary was arrested in a Greyhound station in Philadelphia.
Joseph Galfy was found dead in his room, beaten to death.
Former Internet Star 'Kai The Hitchhiker' Found Guilty Of Murder
Kai was later found guilty of first-degree murder that carries a sentence of 57 years. By the time he gets out of jail, he will be in his 70s, the same age as Joseph Galfy.
In his defense, he argued that he was only protecting himself from Joseph Galfy. While we will never know what happened in that house, it is clear that Kai wasn't mentally stable.
In an interview with his mom, she confirmed that Kai was a victim of sexual assault as a teen, and that episode of his life spiraled Kai into a life of mental problems.
To some, Kai remains a hero because he saved a woman's life in danger. On that day, others could have died in the hands of Jett Simmons McBride, who was committed to a state mental hospital for a maximum of nine years.
To the family of Joseph Galfy, Kai was a cold-blooded murderer.
What can you say about Kai and his story?