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Netflix is adding yet another documentary, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, to its rapidly-increasing library. The upcoming January documentary follows a “shocking” chronicle of a “happy-go-lucky" nomad, Kai's rise to fame, followed by his steep downward spiral.
How did Kai go from being a viral celebrity to someone imprisoned for murder? The Netflix documentary holds all the answers.
Who is The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker?
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker's real name is Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, better known as Kai the Hitchhiker. Kai is a Canadian who went viral in February 2013 after being interviewed by a Fox News reporter in California following a harrowing incident. After his interview, Kai became an internet sensation overnight but was soon charged with murder in May 2013.
His fame dwindled, and he spent nearly five years in solitary confinement at the Union County Jail while awaiting trial. He was forced to spend 23 hours a day, seven days a week, in isolation during his time in prison, a punishment that was a gross violation of his constitutional rights.
How did The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker rise to fame?
Caleb was a hitchhiker who rose to fame with a ride that he thumbed, which eventually resulted in him saving the lives of a utility worker and a woman in Fresno, California, in 2013. He was hitching a ride from a stranger named Jeff Simmon McBride when Lawrence claimed that the former collided with another vehicle before attacking a young woman.
Sensing that the woman’s life was in danger, Lawrence took out a hatchet from his backpack and repeatedly struck McBride on the back of the head to save the woman. While recounting the incident in an interview with Fox News, Lawrence described the hatchet's blows by shouting:
“Smash, Smash, Smash”
His interview took the internet by storm and became a viral meme, attracting millions of viewers. Kai was even invited to the Jimmy Kimmel Show and an episode of Stephen Colbert’s show for his bravery which elevated him to stardom.
What caused Kai's downfall?
Sadly, months after Kai went viral on the internet as The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, he again made headlines, but this time for the wrong reason. He was convicted for the murder of 73-year-old New Jersey attorney Joseph Galfy.
During his trial, Lawrence claimed he was drugged and had fought Galfy in self-defense. Things only worsened when the original February video returned to the public spotlight. Kai, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, was sentenced to 57 years in prison following his trial in 2019. He is still serving his sentence and reportedly lost his bid in 2021 to overturn his murder conviction.
More about Netflix's The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
Netflix will chronicle Kai's life story in an upcoming documentary with a tagline that reads:
"A happy-go-lucky nomad becomes an an unlikely hero through viral stardom before a downward spiral lands him in prison for a murder he says was self-defense."
The documentary is scheduled for release this month on the Netflix streaming platform.
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