ST. PAUL - A former St. Paul resident and student at St. Paul Regional High School in the early 2000s, has become the focal point of a recently released Netflix documentary.
‘The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker’ is described as a “shocking documentary” that chronicles “a happy-go-lucky nomad's ascent to viral stardom and the steep downward spiral that resulted in his imprisonment,” according to the Netflix summary.
The documentary is focused on a man named ‘Kai’ who became famous online after an interview with a FOX news crew took place, reporting on a 2013 incident in California. The incident began after a hitchhiking Kai was picked up by a man who then ran his vehicle into a worker on the road, pinning the worker and injuring him.
The man driving the vehicle, Jett Simmons McBride, then allegedly attacked a woman who was trying to help at the scene, which is when Kai reportedly saved the woman by hitting McBride in the head with a hatchet, halting the attack.
Describing the situation to a news reporter on scene, Kai says the words “Smash, smash, SUH-MASH,” to note the three times he hit the man. The clip would go viral on the Internet.
Shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and the producers of the Kardashians, would reach out to the man known as Kai, and the charismatic young man was quickly thrown into the spotlight.
But, just three months later, the story would take a very different turn.
In May of 2013, Kai was arrested for the murder of a 73-year-old lawyer, Joseph Galfy, in New Jersey. Police found a piece of paper with Kai's name and phone number at Galfy’s home, tying him to the murder.
While Kai does admit to the killing, he says it was done in self-defense, and that he had been drugged and sexually assaulted by Galfy. Kai was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to 57 years in jail in the United States, where he remains.
Not always known as ‘Kai’
But Kai was not always known as Kai. Born as Caleb Lawrence McGillivary, when he was a teenager, McGillivary once lived in St. Paul, Alta., and still has family in the area.
Lakeland Today reached out to some current residents who remember McGillivary when he lived in St. Paul, but most did not want to comment on the record on the recently released Netflix documentary.
One man who once worked with McGillivary and requested his name not be used, recalls McGillivary as being someone who was often “the center of attention.”
“The spotlight always had to be on him no matter what he was doing. He loved playing his guitar and hanging out with friends... When we got him focused on his job, he wasn’t too bad, but seemed to rather want to joke around most of the time,” recalls the man, who also noted, McGillivary was “Always up for an adventure.”
Lakeland Today also tracked down a copy of the 2004 St. Paul Regional High School yearbook, which shows a young Caleb McGillivary in the pages of Grade 10 students. St. Paul Education administration confirmed that McGillivary was a former student at the high school but could not comment further.
Shortly after the Netflix documentary was released, Joshua Stromberg, McGillivary’s brother, made a social media post, stating he gets asked often if Caleb or ‘Kai’ is his brother.
In the post, Stromberg shares his thoughts about the documentary, noting that when the production company approached the family, it was to bring light to McGillivary’s situation.
But Stromberg believes a lot was left out of the documentary, and efforts continue to help his brother.
“We had our ups, we had our downs, as with any sibling relationship. So even though we had a falling out before he went down to the states, and though we don't talk anymore, I still care for him, I still have love for him, and I hate how he didn't get a fair trial, and fair fight in this,” wrote Stromberg.
“I'm disappointed this documentary didn't highlight any of the important things in this case.”
Stromberg’s post has now been shared thousands of times since it was posted on Jan. 12, shortly after the release of the documentary.
A GoFundMe page is also active online, raising funds to help McGillivary with legal costs.