'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker' found guilty at New Jersey murder trial
ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) -- A man accused of beating a New Jersey attorney to death in the 2013 was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday.
Caleb McGillvary, known as "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker," was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Joseph Galfy. He had to wait six years for his case to go to court.
The now-30-year-old McGillvary had been a viral sensation after he stopped an attack on a utility worker in California by using a hatchet.
But a few months after becoming an internet hero, McGillvary was arrested in May 2013 because he was the key suspect in the murder of the 73-year-old Galfy.
Galfy was killed inside his home in Clark, New Jersey.
McGillvary claimed the two met in a bar in New York City and that Galfy invited him to stay in his home, but he said he was the victim of sexual assault that ended in a confrontation.
He discussed the alleged incident in a Facebook post, saying "What would you do if you wake up with a groggy head, metallic taste in your mouth in a stranger's house?"
McGillvary described the incident in graphic detail to his followers, claiming Galfy had committed a sexual act on him without consent.
His internet following would eventually lead to his arrest, after he asked for service in a Philadelphia Starbucks and was recognized by someone who called police.
In opening statements, both sides agreed to many of the details in the case. But the defense argued it was all in self-defense.
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