Caleb Lawrence McGillvary

Caleb Lawrence McGillvary
Born Caleb Lawrence McGillvary
(1988-09-03) September 3, 1988
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada[1]
Other names Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker, Caleb Kai Lawrence Yodhehwawheh, Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence, Kai Stormbird, Kai Nicodemus[2]
Parent(s) Gil McGillivary (father)[3]

Caleb Lawrence McGillvary (born September 3, 1988),[1] also known as Kai, Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker, and Caleb Kai Lawrence Yodhehwawheh,[4] is a Canadian man. He was initially known for a February 2013 interview for KMPH-TV Fresno in which he described how he used a hatchet to defend a woman against an attacker claiming to be Jesus.[5] Subsequently, he became a suspect in a May 2013 New Jersey murder.[6][7]

Background

McGillvary has stated that he was raised in a fundamentalist Christian cult, that his parents had been divorced,[8] and that he had been molested in his youth.[9][10][11] He has also stated that he took on the name "Kai" after taking part in a "spirit walk" while living on a Native American reservation.

McGillvary has a high school diploma, did a year at a university, and speaks 3 languages. [10]

Prior to the Fresno incident in 2013, McGillvary had been living as a transient, which he has described as "homefree".[9] He does not have health insurance, a social security number, a driver license, a passport, or any official form of identification.[9] McGillvary has said that he was from Sophia, West Virginia, and also that he was born in 1988 in Western Canada.[12]

Fresno incident

In February 2013 McGillvary (identifying himself in the video only as "Kai") was videotaped giving an interview in which he described his part in an incident of a man driving his car into a Pacific Gas and Electric employee in Fresno, California. The man, later identified as Jett Simmons McBride,[13] claimed that he was Jesus and that he had been sent to save the Earth shortly before attacking a woman present at the site. McGillvary, who had been riding as a passenger in the car with McBride, described how he hit McBride in the head with a hatchet in order to stop McBride's attack.[14] The full version of the interview, during which McGillvary described the incident in further detail, was posted to the internet and went viral.[15] McGillvary later testified against McBride when he was brought to court.[9] McBride has since claimed that McGillvary was the one who had "yanked" the steering wheel to aim at the Pacific Gas and Electric employee.[16] Eyewitness testimony at McBride's trial refuted this, but witnesses also stated that several Pacific employees had to subdue McGillvary as he was "swinging [his hatchet] at shoulder level at anybody that would try to come at him".[17]

Murder allegations

On May 16, 2013, an arrest warrant was issued for McGillvary for suspicion of the murder of former Army attorney Joseph Galfy, Jr., 73 years old, who had been discovered dead inside of his home in Clark, New Jersey.[6] McGillvary was arrested May 16 at a Philadelphia bus terminal by the Philadelphia Police after he was identified by a Starbucks employee.[18][19] His bail was set at $3 million and since his extradition to New Jersey, he has been held in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

McGillvary's last Facebook post before he was arrested suggested that he had been the victim of a sexual assault, but did not specifically identify Galfy or the location of an alleged assault:

"what would you do if you woke up with a groggy head, metallic taste in your mouth, in a strangers house... walked to the mirror and seen cum dripping from the side of your face from your mouth, and started wretching, realizing that someone had drugged, raped, and blown their fucking load in you? what would you do?"[20]

McGillvary has pleaded not guilty, and his trial was on April 11, 2016.[21][22][23]

Prosecutor Theodore Romankow characterized the Facebook post as self-serving.[24]

Due Process allegations

As of early 2016, McGillvary has alleged that his rights to due process in the murder case have been violated.[25] In his letter to the Office of Attorney Ethics, McGillvary states that the prosecutor's office "failed to collect many items that could have been used to drug [him] from the house, or samples from the carpet where they knew the assault occurred," and that "during the course of the investigation no rape kit or samples for toxicological analysis were collected from [him]." He is also protesting the alleged misrepresentation of the qualifications of a doctor whose pharmaceutical and forensic medical opinions were used. His change.org petition now has over 450 supporters.

References

  1. 1 2 Boesveld, Sarah. "How Canadian YouTube sensation ‘Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker’ went from hero to inmate". National Post. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Famed 'hatchet hitchhiker' arrested in NJ homicide". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Parents of Kai the Hitchhiker say the Union Co. murder suspect has had behavioral issues for years". NJ.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Gabbatt, Adam (17 May 2013). "'Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker' arrested in [Philadelphia] on murder charge". London: Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Kimmel Picks Up Kai The Hatchet-Wielding ‘Homefree’ Hitchhiker For Exclusive Interview". Mediaite. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Hitchhiker Kai, sought in New Jersey slaying, is arrested". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  7. ↑ Winton, Richard (16 May 2013). "Viral star Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker wanted for murder". LA Times. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Relatives of 'Kai' McGillivary describe his mental-health troubles". Philly.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "CATCHING UP WITH KAI, THE HATCHET-WIELDING HITCHHIKER". Vice. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Viral Mystery Revealed: The Real Kai, Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker". Mashable. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Real Kai, Hatchet-Wielding Hithchiker, a KMPH Exclusive". YouTube. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Behind The Hero: Kai The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker Gives Intimate Interview About ‘Dark’ Past". Mediaite. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Tacoma man jailed in Fresno". News Tribune. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "MUST SEE: Amazing Interview With Hatchet-Wielding Homeless Hitchhiker Who Took Down Man Claiming To Be Jesus". Mediaite. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Viral Celebrity Kai the Hitchhiker Wanted for Murder". Mashable. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "‘Kai the hitchhiker’ charged with homicide in bludgeoning death of lawyer". Toronto: The Star. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "Kai was neither hero nor did he cause crash, witnesses say". ABC. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "'Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker' arrested in Clark man's murder". ABC Local. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "'Kai the hitchhiker' arraigned in Philly". Philly.com. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "McGillvary's Facebook page". Facebook. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Authorities: YouTube Star Arrested, Charged In Clark, N.J. Murder". CBS Local. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  22. ↑ ""KAI THE HITCHHIKER" PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO MURDER". CBS News. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "McGillvary's Twitter page".
  24. ↑ http://gawker.com/jailed-hero-hitchhiker-kai-tried-to-kill-himself-825596565
  25. ↑ http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2016/03/accused_of_murder_kai_the_hitchhiker_wages_legal_f.html

External links

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