‘Kai The Hitchhiker' Murder Trial: Internet Sensation Found Guilty In Beating Death

A 30-year-old man, who became an internet sensation in 2013 as “Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker,” was found guilty Wednesday in the beating death of a New Jersey attorney. Homeless drifter Caleb “Kai” McGillvary was convicted of first-degree murder for killing a 73-year-old Joseph Galfy.

McGillvary became a viral star in February 2013 when a reporter in Fresno, California, interviewed him after he saved a person from a would-be attacker while hitchhiking. The fatal beating occurred just three months after McGillvary became a viral sensation.

"Due to not being able to fully present his case, Kai has been found guilty of murder. We will be filing an appeal as soon as possible and will keep you updated," a post on Kai the Hitchhiker Legal Support Page on Facebook read.

McGillvary was in jail since the attack and was awaiting trial since he was arrested in New Jersey in 2013, according to NJ.com.

“This was a brutal, vicious, senseless crime, and we are pleased that the interests of justice have been served,” prosecutor Monahan said in a new release from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. "We sincerely thank the jury for their service and hope that today's verdict brings some measure of solace to Mr. Galfy's family, friends and loved ones."

During his trial, McGillvary said he acted in self-defense and argued he was drugged and sexually assaulted by the New Jersey lawyer. The Alberta, Canada-native, also said in court that he did not call police after the incident because he feared being deported. Prosecutors said McGillvary provided inconsistent accounts to authorities after he was arrested in Philadelphia. The jurors deliberated for two days before convicting McGillvary in the trial Wednesday. He could face life in prison when he is sentenced June 13.

The interview video which gave McGillvary the internet fame was viewed millions of times on YouTube and he also appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He said in the viral interview that he used a hatchet he was carrying at the time to repeatedly hit a man who pinned the utility worker with his car in the unprovoked attack.