The homeless hitchhiker accused of murdering a New Jersey lawyer has pleaded not guilty. Caleb McGillivary entered the plea at a June 3 hearing in Elizabeth, N.J. His bail was set at $3 million Police suspect McGillivary, 24, in last month’s beating death of 73-year-old Joseph Galfy in Clark. Galfy was found dead in his bed in his underwear and socks May 13. McGillivary met Galfy in Times Square May 11, although it is unclear if the meeting was prearranged, and spent two nights at his house. The day after Galfy’s body was found, McGillivary suggested on his Facebook page that he had been drugged and raped by a man. McGillivary was arrested at the Greyhound bus station in Center City a few days after the murder, after a nearby Starbucks employee recognized him from news reports. He became an Internet sensation earlier this year after saving a woman’s life by striking her attacker with a hatchet. In a rambling news interview that went viral, McGillivary, who goes by the name Kai, said he carries the hatchet with him as he hitchhikes. Authorities have said that McGillivary has since stayed at the homes of “fans” across the country. At last week’s hearing, McGillivary said supporters had contacted an attorney on his behalf but he had yet to speak to him, prompting him to request a delay in the hearing, which Superior Court Judge Brenda Coppola Cuba denied. A public defender has been assigned to his case, and Cuba assured McGillivary that he would be permitted to contact a private attorney via phone. He questioned the judge numerous times about the charges and reportedly appeared confused about the legal process. When Cuba informed McGillivary that his bail was set at $3 million, he replied, “Oh, cool.”
