A new Netflix documentary will bring back the time when Kai Lawrence was the centre of attention around the globe.
The platform is lauded for its abundance of non-fiction programming, both short and long form. With Netflix’s debut of The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, 2023 promises to be a banner year for fans of the documentary genre.
Simply hearing the title of the documentary may bring to mind a video that went viral in 2013.
The movie delves into the story behind the viral video of hitchhiker Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, who introduced himself as Kai to a local California news reporter.
According to ABC30’s report, during the interview he describes how he hit Jett Simmons McBride in the head with a hatchet when McBride began attacking others in the street.
That said, the documentary delves into the events that followed the internet-breaking interview. Can somebody tell me where Kai Lawrence is right now?
Who Exactly is Kai, The Hitchhiker Armed With a Hatchet?
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, better known by his stage name Kai, is a convicted murderer who shot to prominence in 2013 after a news story about him went viral.
Canadian hitchhiker McGillvary claimed in an interview with KMPH News in California that he rescued a woman from an attacker by striking him over the head with a hatchet.
McGillvary said he was offered a ride by a stranger who then allegedly confessed to him that he had “raped a 14-year-old” in the Virgin Islands, before pretending to be Jesus Christ and running down and pinning a pedestrian between two trucks.
Also read Just Who Is Shailene Woodley Seeing?
He can be heard saying in the video, “I raced in, I snatched the keys, and he’s sitting there like nothing ever happened.” I mean, man, there would have been a lot of dead bodies if he’d started driving that automobile around again.
He continued, saying, “A person that huge can snap a woman’s neck like a pencil stick, so I f**king raced up behind him with a hatchet – smash, smash, smash!” He said the driver had seized the woman who had stopped to rescue the hit pedestrian.
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, a documentary produced on his tumultuous life and descent from viral stardom to violent criminality, premiered on Netflix on January 10, 2023.
Kai made his television debut on the Fox station KMPH in Fresno, California on February 2, 2013. As far as he can recall, he was hitchhiking when Jett McBride picked him up. A person was hit by the car and trapped between McBride’s vehicle and a parked truck.
According to the Associated Press, in August of 2021, Kai filed a motion to have his murder conviction reversed, arguing that the jury’s decision was supported by the evidence and that the prosecution “committed misconduct by mischaracterizing the evidence” and Kai’s argument.
He further claimed that the trial judge had allowed extremely biassed expert testimony.
Medical examiner testimony was used by the appeals court to establish that Galfy’s injuries were “much more than just an effort to stop a sexual advance,” as the trial judge had concluded. The two-judge panel concluded that “the record does not imply a miscarriage of justice occurred.”
McGillvary, also known as Kai the Hatcher Wielding Hitchhiker, was 30 years old when he was convicted in May 2019 and given a 58-year prison term.
The court ruled that he must serve at least 85% of his sentence, and while he challenged his murder conviction on the grounds of “misconduct, abuse of discretion, and ineffectiveness of defence counsel,” a New Jersey tribunal maintained his conviction in August 2021.
From behind bars in January 2020, McGillvary told Inside Edition that he initially didn’t realise Galfy had been killed despite the severity of his wounds.
He explained that he was lying on the floor when he was kicked in the ear, and that he didn’t notify the police because he was an illegal immigrant, and that crucial evidence was overlooked in court.
Right now, you can watch Netflix’s The Hitchhiker With a Hatchet. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on, or read more about documentaries on our site.
Netflix memberships start at at £6.99 per month. Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream both carry it too.
Subscribe to Radio Times today to receive the special holiday double issue. The Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast features in-depth interviews with some of television’s top names.
