The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker was actually an internet meme of an Edmonton based homeless man that went viral in 2013. Pretty Cool, but why are people searching for it now in 2023? Why is the man going viral again?
Well, it’s because Netflix has recently released a scandalous documentary on 10 Jan 2023 that is based on the story of this same man. Netflix’s latest true crime movie is the reason behind the trending searches of the wielding hitchhiker and here, we are going to discuss about the present and past of that man.
Where is the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker now?
In 2023, the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is incarcerated at New Jersey State Prison, Trenton. He was brought to prison in 2013 and remained in the jail until his trial in 2019 where he was found guilty for the first degree murder.
The real name of the viral hitchhiker is Kai Lawrence. He was convicted and sentenced to 57 years in imprison. He was found guilty by the jury for the first degree murder of 73 year old lawyer Joseph Galfy.
About Netflix’s Documentary Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
The official Netflix synopsis reads, “This shocking film chronicles a happy nomad’s journey to viral stardom and the steep downward spiral that resulted in his imprisonment.” The documentary shows exactly what happened after the overnight fame of Wielding Hitchhiker and what factors led to his imprisonment in New Jersey.
Who is Kai Lawrence McGillvary?
Kai is a homeless man that was introduced to the world in Feb 2013 when a crazy video of him went viral on social media, the clips was actually from an interview with FOX Channel. At the time of going viral, the man was 24 years old and living a nomadic life inside the United States.
Kai was hitching rides for travel purposes and an incident happened when he was hitching a ride to Fresno, California. A man named Jett Simons McBride picked him up while he was hitchhiking and during the thrilling ride, McBride told him that he raped a 14 year old girl and intentionally hit a pedestrian with his car on the ride.
When a bystander woman Tanya Baker rush to help the victim, Simons attacked her too. Finally, Kai dives into the matter and pull out a hatchet out of his bag and hit McBride with the blunt end. In the KMPH news station viral interview, he also said that no matter what you have done, you deserve respect.
Then, he was memed and become a hero on the internet but the real history seems to be much darker than the media has shown. Today, Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker aka Kai Lawrence is 34 years old and is behind the bars for a first degree murder of man named Joseph Galfy.
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