Kai the Hitchhiker Indicted on Murder Charges

Caleb McGillvary—better known as Kai the Hitchhiker, the man accused of the May beating death of Clark resident Joseph Galfy—was indicted Wednesday by a Union County grand jury on a first-degree murder charge. 

Investigators found the body of Galfy, 74, in his home on May 13, after officers were called to the scene for a welfare check, according to the prosecutor's office.

McGillvary remained at large for several days, until an employee at a Pennsylvania coffee shop phoned in a tip that led investigators to arrest him at a Greyhound Lines bus terminal in Philadelphia, said Union County Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, who is handling the case.

McGillvary alleged on Facebook shortly after the killing that he was drugged and raped, and asked readers, "what would you do?"

In June, a public defender entered a plea of not guilty for McGillvary. He is being held on $3 million bail. In July, McGillvary was rushed to the hospital with self-inflicted wounds.

McGillvary is expected to be arraigned before the end of the year and could face a sentence of 30 years to life if convicted at trial. 

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

The Clark case remains an active investigation and if anyone has information, contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Johnny Ho at 908-527-4509.