Union County prosecutors say 25-year-old Caleb McGillvary could face a life sentence if he's convicted. The indictment was handed up Wednesday by a county grand jury.
McGillvary is accused of killing 74-year-old lawyer Joseph Galfy, whose body was found May 13 in his Clark home. Authorities say McGillvary and Galfy met in New York City and McGillvary stayed at Galfy's home.
McGillvary was arrested in Philadelphia several days after Galfy's body was found.
The Canadian gained a measure of online fame in February after intervening in an attack on a California utility worker in which he described using a hatchet to fend off a further attack.
