A 27-year-old respiratory therapist from Kentucky has sued Netflix for including his photo in the true-crime documentary "The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker."
An image of Taylor Hazlewood posing with a hatchet is used during a montage in the film, even though he has no other connection to the case.
The documentary concerns a 2013 TV interview with a hitchhiker named Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, who related a story about rescuing a woman from an attacker using a hatchet.
- Shortly after his news clip went viral, McGillvary was arrested in connection with the murder of New Jersey attorney Joseph Galfy; he was ultimately convicted of the crime in 2019 and sentenced to 57 years in prison.
- Hazlewood's photo is featured during a sequence about the viral impact of the McGillvary TV interview, with the (apparently inaccurate) implication that he was responding to the news story.
- Hazlewood claims he was never contacted by producers about the use of his photo; he's seeking $1 million in damages.
