Netflix to air documentary on Kai, the infamous hatchet-wielding hitchhiker in Fresno
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Money to anyone who had 2023 as the year Caleb McGillvary would get his own true-crime documentary.
As first reported on The Munro Review, the British Production Company RAWTV announced its documentary “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker” will premiere Jan. 10 on Netflix.
Per an Instagram post (which includes a teaser for the film): “This shocking documentary chronicles a happy-go-lucky nomad’s ascent to viral stardom and the steep downward spiral that resulted in his imprisonment.”
On its merits, the story is worthy of a deep dive.
McGillvary was the darling of late-night and local TV and viral video in 2012; a charismatic, if not totally off-kilter hero who saved two people in a stranger-than-fiction encounter while hitchhiking through California (and Fresno specifically).
He was ahead of his the time as a social media celebrity in the days before Tik-Tok.
Search: Kai Smash remix on Youtube.
There was even a spot on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
He turned out to also be a killer who was later convicted of murdering a New Jersey lawyer; though there were claims of self-defense and sexual assault.
And also mental illness and distress.
For Fresnans, the film has added appeal, because much of McGillvary’s story is rooted here.
It was a KMPH reporter who broke the original story and aired the now-infamous interview from Fresno’s Tower District.
McGillvary had his share of fans here, and spent down time in Fresno prior to his arrest.
A Fresno couple started a Facebook page that hit the 10,000-mark within days. There was a recording session with area musicians and a performance at a local nightclub (though there is some question about how well McGillvary’s antics were received).
It is not clear how much of a role Fresno will play in the documentary, but the production company did reach out to several people in town (including The Bee) last year.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 2:28 PM.