Hatchet-wielding viral video star, once a hero, now a murder suspect

NEW YORK (WPIX) -- The hitchhiker became famous after his colorful description of how he stopped a crazed driver in Fresno, Calif., went viral. Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker once known for saving  innocent people, is now known as a murder suspect, prosecutors say.

Kai — real name Caleb Lawrence McGillvary — was arrested Thursday evening at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Philadelphia and has been charged with the homicide of Joseph Galfy Jr., authorities say.

Galfy was found dead Monday inside his Clark, N.J., home. Prosecutors say the two met near Times Square on Saturday night, then went back to the victim’s home.

The next day, authorities believe the victim took Kai to a train heading to Asbury Park to visit a fan. He returned the same day.

Galfy was found dead less than 24 hours later. An autopsy showed he died as a result of blunt trauma to the head.