Murder suspect Caleb McGillivary, better known as “Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker,” was rushed to the hospital earlier Thursday for self-inflicted wounds, according to officials.
McGillivary became an Internet sensation when his colorful interview with FOX affiliate KMPH after he rescued a woman from a racist attacker went viral in February. He revealed more about his troubled past in a followup interview, and was even songified by the Gregory Brothers.
McGillivary was arrested and charged with the murder of Joseph Galfy in Galfy’s Clark, N.J. home. Galfy was found dead on May 12 with blunt force trauma to the head, and the Prosecutor’s Office told reporters that the two had met in Times Square for a “sexual encounter.”
Bail was set at $3 million. McGillivary pleaded not guilty on June 3 and claimed on Facebook prior to his arrest that he had been the victim of sexual assault. Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow dismissed McGillivary’s claims as “self-serving.”
It’s unclear how McGillivary’s injuries were caused or how the officers discovered that McGillivary was injured.
“Shortly after 5:10 a.m. today, Caleb McGillivary was transferred from the Union County jail to an area hospital with self-inflicted, non-life threatening injuries,” Union County spokesman Sebastian D’Elia said in a statement.
He was later taken to a healthcare facility, where he remains under guard by sheriff’s officers, according to D’Elia.
County officials would not elaborate on details regarding McGillivary’s injuries, citing regulations that prohibit releasing information on an inmate’s health.
