UNION COUNTY - Open arguments are scheduled to begin this week in the long-awaited trial of a man who initially gained Internet fame as "Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker," and is now accused of the 2013 beating death of a Clark attorney.

Jury selection has been completed in the murder trial of Caleb "Kai" McGillivary, 30, who is accused of killing Joseph Galfy, 73, a land use lawyer, in May 2013. Galfy's body was found inside his Clark home.

Opening arguments by Union County Assistant Prosecutors Scott Peterson and Jillian Reyes and McGillivary's attorney, John Cito, are expected Tuesday before Union County Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch, sitting in Elizabeth.

More:Who is Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker?

McGillivary was arrested in Philadelphia a few days after Galfy was attacked, and he pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in 2014. If convicted, McGillivary could face life in prison.

The two men reportedly met in New York City and McGillivary stayed at Galfy's home.

McGillivary, who is from Canada, gained fame in February 2013 after intervening in an attack on a California utility worker in which he described using a hatchet to fend off the attacker. The YouTube video of the interview has garnered more than one million views.

On the Kai the Hitchhiker Legal Support Facebook page, liked by more than 17,000, his story indicates that McGillivary saved a group of people from being killed in Fresno, California on Feb. 1, 2013. His interview describing the incident went viral, and he was invited to appear on TV with Jimmy Kimmel and others.

Then on May 12, 2013, McGillivary met Joseph Galfy, in Times Square, according to the Facebook page.

They had beers and McGillivary was invited to spend the night in Galfy's guest room. He woke up hung over the next morning and that night called Galfy to stay in the guest room again, according to the Facebook post.

But when he work up the next day, allegedly after his beer was drugged, he found Galfy's partially naked body on top of him, allegedly sexually assaulting him. McGillivary fought Galfy away from him, according to the post.

The Facebook post indicates McGillivary doesn't remember much until he regained consciousness in a parking lot a few miles away.

He was arrested in Philadelphia a few days later, unaware that Galfy had died from his injuries. McGillivary was charged with murder, according to the Facebook post. He has been in custody since his arrest.

McGillivary alleges police ran the dishwasher at the crime scene and destroyed evidence of drugs and sexual assault, according to the Facebook post.

The Facebook page asks for support for Kai.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com