Crime & Safety

Fans of 'Kai the Hitchhiker' Want to Raise $3M in Bail Money

One man is hoping fans will open their wallets to fund the defense of an Internet celeb accused in the murder of Clark resident Joseph Galfy.


Will fans of 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitcher' stand by him now that the Internet celeb has been arrested for the murder of Clark's Joseph Galfy?

At least one fan is, and he's asking other supporters of Kai (whose real name is Caleb Lawrence McGillvary) to open their wallets to fund his $3 million bail and the cost of his legal defense.

Galfy, 73, was found in his Clark home on Monday morning after hosting McGillvary, 24, overnight on Saturday and Sunday. Police say that McGillvary murdered Galfy, who was found in his underwear and socks, severely beaten. McGillvary was arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday night.

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For his part, in a Tuesday post on his Facebook page, McGillvary alleges that he was drugged and raped, and asks readers, "what would you do?"

On the "Kai the Hitchhiker Legal Support Page," the fundraiser's creator, Terry Ratliff, writes, "We all know that [McGillvary] allegedly went through an unfortunate event before taking unfortunate actions. Close your eyes and ask yourself this... What would you do if you woke up in a similar situation?"

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When posed the question on McGillvary's Facebook page, Ratliff suggested that he use his hatchet, to which McGillvary eerily replied "i like your idea terry."

(Ratliff now claims that McGillvary was coming to see him in Georgia to work on his music, and that his "i like your idea" response was actually regarding Ratliff's idea about a song remix, not the suggestion that he make use of his hatchet.)

"Whatever the truth is, he's the only one who knows...and if the situation he stated is correct, then I'm all for helping him get a FAIR chance at the battle ahead," writes Ratliff on the Facebook page.

The going is slow for day one of fundraising: As of press time, Ratliff had only raised $186 from nine donors.

One donor wrote, "I just want to make sure Kai's side of this is heard and well represented."

On the fundraiser Facebook page, another Kai-defender writes,"Everyone wants to think he is insane. I think he did it in self-defense or it was manslaughter done in the heat of passion because he was angry at what had been done to him. He did not just murder this guy for the hell of it. Maybe if the media would give a fair representation of what happened and check into the murdered attorney's past, a good reputable attorney would stand up and defend him pro bono."

Those who aren't fans of Kai are also chiming in on the site. One writes, "I wonder how many more bodies kai has left behind."

McGillvary became an Internet sensation in February: After saving a Fresno woman by smashing her attacker in the head with his hatchet, McGillvary’s offbeat personality in an interview made for a YouTube video that garnered nearly 4 million views (see it here - warning, contains profanity). He also recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

In a May 10 Facebook post, McGillvary described an abusive childhood, writing that he was confined, beaten and sexually abused before being put into treatment. He also discussed it in an interview following the Fresno incident. (View it in our gallery, above right.)

In another Facebook post, the drifter, who calls himself happily "homefree" not homeless, thanks those who have hosted him, writing "ive spent time squattin, couchsurfing, guesting, camping, in hotels, motels, and even the holiday inn. im so happy that you invited me into your lives and even put up with my scandalous sleep deprived or drunk ass self when my ego showed up. i could write a book about all these adventures."

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READ MORE:

CAUGHT: 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker' Arrested in Philadelphia

UPDATE: 'Suspicious Death' of Clark Resident Now Ruled a Homicide


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