Is Kai the hitchhiker in jail?
Matthew Barrera
Updated on April 02, 2026
Kai was imprisoned for over five years awaiting trial which began April 1, 2019. Kai took the stand in his own defense and was combative during cross examination; he made an outburst during his defense lawyer’s closing arguments nearly leading to his expulsion from the court room.
What happened to Kai from Dogtown?
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former online celebrity who became known for allegedly using a hatchet to fend off an attack on a highway worker failed in his attempt to have his conviction in a 2013 murder overturned. He is serving a 57-year sentence. …
What is Kai The Hitchhiker real name?
Caleb McGillvary
According to News 12 New Jersey, Kai — real name Caleb McGillvary — is accused of killing Joseph Galfy, a 73-year-old land-use attorney, in May 2013, three months after he made his viral splash. The now-30-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and faces life in prison if convicted.
Is the hitchhiker a real person?
A man who gained internet fame as “Kai the Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker” was sentenced to 57 years in prison Thursday in the beating death of a New Jersey man almost six years ago. Jurors in Union County convicted 30-year-old Caleb “Kai” McGillvary last month in the May 2013 death of 73-year-old lawyer Joseph Galfy.
What did Kai The Hitchhiker go to jail for?
McGillvary was trying to overturn a court’s decision from 2019 when he was found guilty of first-degree murder of a 74-year-old man and sentenced to 57 years in prison. McGillvary, 32, will not be eligible for parole until October 2061, when he will be 73 years old.
What happened to Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker?
But the man known as “ Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker ” has no regrets about the viral event that launched him on a breathtaking, and ultimately fateful, trajectory—one that would cast the now-27-year-old from a freewheeling drifter, to a folk hero for the digital age, and finally to an accused murderer in a matter of months.
What happened to Kai Kai?
Kai took the stand in his own defense and was combative during cross examination; he made an outburst during his defense lawyers closing arguments nearly leading to his expulsion from the court room. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to 57 years in prison.
What did McBride do to Kai?
McBride told Kai he once raped a 14-year-old girl in the Virgin Islands while on a business trip. McBride then crashed into a pedestrian, pinning the latter against a truck. Kai jumped out of the car to help the pinned pedestrian while the driver remained in the car.