Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker is an internet viral video featuring a hitchhiking man who calls himself "Kai". It was released on February 2, 2013, by a reporter from a local news station in California. The video went viral and received national attention in the press.[1] Kai Lawrence, later identified as Caleb Lawrence McGillvary (b. September 3, 1988[2]) from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, would cite the fall-out from the video as part of his defense against a homicide charge that was filed in New Jersey a few months after the video was released.