“Kai the Hitchhiker,” who rose to viral internet fame after a bizarre television interview in 2013, will be spending decades behind bars for the 2013 fatal beating of a 73-year-old Clark lawyer.
Caleb McGillvary, 30, was sentenced to 57 years in state prison for the killing of Joseph Galfy, a prominent lawyer who was found dead in his home May 13, 2013.
McGillvary will receive credit for the six years he spent in jail awaiting trial, and will be eligible for parole in 2061 after completing 85 percent of his sentence.
The 30-year-old was combative during his three-week trial in April. He was found guilty on April 24 after a jury deliberated for less than two days.
McGillvary had several outbursts and arguments with the prosecution and state Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch in Superior Court in Union County. This continued during his sentencing, where he called out at least half a dozen times from the jury box while shackled, including saying “Are you f**king kidding me?” as Kirsch commended the legal work done in this case.
Kirsch reminded him several times to “keep your mouth shut.”
“You are crafty, cunning, disingenuous and manipulative,” Kirsch told McGillvary, who appeared in a buzzcut after having kept his long hair in a bun during the trial. “You are a powder keg of explosive rage."
Kai the Hitchhiker’s strange journey from hatchet-wielding hero to convicted killer
McGillvary was hitchhiking around the country when Galfy met him by chance in Times Square and invited the then-24-year-old back to his Clark home, in a seemingly innocent encounter that would eventually turn violent.
In explaining why he handed down a long prison term, Kirsch said McGillvary is likely to reoffend, pointing to his unstable lifestyle, substance abuse and the anti-social behavior shown since the age of 2 — including attempting to light his house on fire.
Joseph Galfy’s younger brother, James Galfy, read a statement in court, where he talked about the impact the loss of his brother had on his own children.
“We all lost someone we can depend on,” James Galfy said, reading from his victim impact statement. He said Joseph’s nieces lost the man who would take them crabbing in the summer or gave legal advice when they bought their first homes.
Union County state Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch gave Caleb McGillvary the opportunity to read a statement in court prior to being sentenced to 57 years in state prison. McGillvary called the trial a 'sham' that 'railroaded an innocent man.' (Sophie Nieto-Munoz | for NJ Advance Media)Sophie Nieto-Munoz | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
When McGillvary was given the opportunity to give a statement before his sentencing, he noted that he’s met “tens of thousands of people" over the course of his travels that he says he never hurt.
“The hundreds of people I’ve stayed with ... now question ‘Why didn’t Kai hurt us?’ because this trial didn’t answer those questions, but my character does,” McGillvary said, his voice raised. “My character for helping people is why people were safe with me.”
McGillvary said he plans to appeal the “false conviction and worthless sentence,” calling it a sham trial that “railroaded an innocent man.” He ended his statement by shouting “Shame. On. You,” emphasizing each word to the judge, prosecution and his former counsel.
McGillvary stayed two nights at Galfy’s house, claiming he was sexually assaulted both nights. On the second night, McGillvary testified he was drugged and woke up to Galfy sexually assaulting him, punched him, and ran away.
The judge said McGillvary’s behavior of returning to the home where he was allegedly sexually assaulted “defies common sense."
On May 13, 2013 Galfy was found dead in his bedroom, facedown in his underwear and socks after paralegals from his office called local authorities to do a wellness check. McGillvary had fled to Philadelphia, at this point, cut his hair and changed his clothes. He was arrested on May 16, 2013, claiming he did not know he killed the man and acted in self defense.
Kirsch said even if McGillvary did not know Galfy was dead, he “left the victim helpless...only to die some time later” from a broken neck, broken ribs, a brain bleed, skull fractures and several contusions.
Assistant Prosecutors Jillian Reyes and Scott Peterson said during the trial that Galfy’s brutal injuries, were “so far from self defense, it’s not even funny.”
John Cito, McGillvary’s defense attorney who has since been fired, cast the Alberta, Canada-native as a young man with a “home-free lifestyle" who always gave people the benefit of the doubt.
The prosecution also pointed to inconsistencies in McGillvary’s testimony and the original statement he gave after he was arrested.
When McGillvary testified on the final day of the trial, he and Peterson often raised their voices and talked over each other, forcing Kirsch to call order to the courtroom. He also reminded McGillvary several times not to speak out or add irrelevant information -- or he would be removed from the courtroom.
McGillvary pushed back, arguing he was receiving unfair treatment and that his rights were being infringed upon. He has 45 days to appeal the sentence.
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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