Murder Trial Opening for 'Kai the Hitchhiker'

Caleb McGillivray claims he only defended himself in sexual assault
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2019 7:01 AM CDT
Viral Hitchhiker on Trial for Murder Alleges Cop Coverup
Caleb McGillivary waits to be arraigned on murder charges in a Union County jail courtroom in Elizabeth, NJ, on June 3, 2013.   (AP Photo/Star Ledger, Patti Sapone, Pool)

"Kai the hitchhiker" will soon learn if his hitchhiking days are over. Opening statements begin Tuesday in the long-awaited trial of the Canadian Internet star turned murder suspect, accused of fatally beating a 73-year-old lawyer who offered up his home in Clark, NJ, reports News 12. Prosecutors say Joseph Galfy was found dead of blunt force trauma after he invited Kai—real name Caleb McGillivray—to stay with him in May 2013. McGillivray, who went viral after intervening in a gas station attack in California in February of that year, instead claims he was the victim, according to a legal support Facebook page.

It describes McGillivary—whose initial profanity-laced interview received 7 million views on YouTube—awaking in a guest room to find a partially naked Galfy on top of him, per the Bridgewater Courier News. "In a drugged state," McGillivary fought Galfy before regaining consciousness a few miles from the home, unaware Galfy had died of his injuries, according to the post. It also mentions McGillivary's claims that police destroyed evidence that he was drugged and sexually assaulted. The 30-year-old has been in custody since his arrest in Philadelphia days after Galfy's death. He pleaded not guilty to murder in 2014 and faces life in prison if convicted. (More murder trial stories.)

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