Kai the Hitchhiker Arrested for Murder at Philadelphia Greyhound Station [Updated]

Today, Caleb Lawrence McGillvary–a.k.a. Kai the homeless hitchhiker–was arrested at the Greyhound bus terminal in Philadelphia for the murder of a New Jersey lawyer found dead in his home Monday morning. Prosecutors told NBC 10 they believe that the lawyer, 73-year-old Joseph Galfy, brought 24-year-old Kai back to his home after they met Sunday evening in Times Square. They say the two had a sexual encounter before Galfy died of blunt force trauma to the head.

A glance at Kai’s Facebook page–which is public–reveals what appears to be his own side of the story.

Kai’s viral fame, of course, originated from an incident in which he wielded a hatchet to stave off a violent 300-pound man from attacking two women. Below is what appears to be a response to the last comment.

Once news broke earlier today that authorities were looking for Kai, Ratliff posted again.

Several hours later, after Kai had been arrested, Ratliff started a legal defense fund for Kai. (On Kai’s wall, he explains knowing McGillvary because of this remix of Kai’s famous viral video, which it appears he produced. Ratliff’s Facebook page identifies him as a music producer who lives in Kingsland, Georgia.)

Here’s the text of Ratliff’s message on the GoFundMe page, which as of this writing has raised $16. Ratliff has also started a legal support page on Facebook.

According to NBC, prosecutors believe that after killing Galfy, Kai spent the day in Philadelphia, sightseeing. The next morning, after a night with friends in Glassboro, New Jersey, he left again for Philly. He told his friends that from there, he was headed to Georgia.

Today, Philly.com reports, someone alerted police after seeing him at the Starbucks on 10th and Chestnut Streets. When the police arrived there, he was already gone, but they soon tracked him down at the nearby Greyhound terminal around 6 p.m.

Updated [11:55 p.m.]: I just got off the phone with 32-year-old Terry Ratliff, who says he believes Kai was on his way to Georgia to visit him. Within the last couple weeks–he can’t remember exactly when–the two had discussed a trip, so that Ratliff could help produce Kai’s music. Relatedly, Monday night, Ratliff says he sent Kai an email detailing some plans regarding their plans to collaborate. In part, it read:

Hey on another note, I have this idea branded in my head about that song “Movement.” I gotta few ideas for a bad ass remix to it, and i believe it’ll be a HIT on iTunes, etc. Im thinking somewhere along the lines of a reggae/dubstep flavored hybrid.

Terry told me he believes that when Kai wrote on Facebook (see above) “i like your idea Terry” he may have been referring to the plans discussed in this email, not necessarily Ratliff’s facetious suggestion that he attack the person who purportedly sexually assaulted him.