Man murdered in 2021 "speaks" at killer's sentencing hearing thanks to AI video

CBS News

08-05-2025

A man who was killed in a road rage incident in Arizona "spoke" during his killer's sentencing hearing after his family used artificial intelligence to create a video of him reading a victim impact statement.
In what's believed to be a first in U.S. courts, the family of Chris Pelkey used AI to give him a voice. Pelkey was shot by Gabriel Paul Horcasitas on Nov. 13, 2021, as both drivers were stopped at a red light. According to records, Pelkey was shot after getting out of his truck and walking toward Horcasitas' car.
The AI rendering of Pelkey told the shooter during the sentencing hearing last week that it was a shame they had to meet under those circumstances — and that the two of them probably could have been friends in another life.
"I believe in forgiveness and in God who forgives. I always have and I still do," Pelkey's avatar told Gabriel Paul Horcasitas.
The AI version of Pelkey went on to share advice for people to make the most of each day and to love each other, not knowing how much time one might have left.
The Army dress uniform and photo of the late Christopher Pelkey is shown at his mother's home, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Chandler, Ariz.
Matt York / AP
While use of artificial intelligence within the court system is expanding, it's typically been reserved for administrative tasks, legal research and case preparation. In Arizona, it's helped inform the public of rulings in significant cases.
But using AI to generate victim impact statements marks a new — and legal, at least in Arizona — tool for sharing information with the court outside the evidentiary phases.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Todd Lang, who presided over the case, said that he "loved that AI," according to CBS News partner BBC News. Lang also noted the video said something about Pelkey's family, who had expressed their anger over his death and had asked for Horcasitas to receive the maximum sentence. Family and friends also submitted nearly 50 letters to the judge, echoing the video's message.
Horcasitas, 54, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.
Horcasitas' lawyer, Jason Lamm, told The Associated Press they filed a notice to appeal his sentence within hours of the hearing. Lamm said it's likely that the appellate court will weigh whether the judge improperly relied on the AI video when handing down the sentence.
Pelkey's sister, Stacey Wales, raised the idea of her brother speaking for himself. For years, while the case worked its way through the legal system, Wales said she thought about what she would say at the sentencing hearing. She struggled to get words down on paper.
But when she thought about what her brother would say to the shooter, knowing he would have forgiven him, the words poured out of her.
Stacey Wales, sister of the late Christopher Pelkey, displays her brother's image at her mother's home, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Chandler, Ariz.
Matt York / AP
"We approached this with ethics and morals because this is a powerful tool," she told the BBC. "Just like a hammer can be used to break a window or rip down a wall, it can also be used as a tool to build a house and that's how we used this technology."
Pelkey was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and later lived in Arizona, according to his obituary. He was a veteran who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and was actively involved in his local church and went on local and international mission trips, the obituary said.
AI in the courtroom
In Arizona, victims can give their impact statements in any digital format, said victims' rights attorney Jessica Gattuso, who represented the family.
Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer didn't address the road rage case specifically in an interview Wednesday. But she said the rise in popularity and accessibility to AI in recent years led to the creation of a committee to research best practices in the courts.
Gary Marchant, a member of the committee and a law professor at Arizona State University, said he understands why Pelkey's family did it. But he warned the use of this technology could open the door to more people trying to introduce AI-generated evidence into courtrooms.
"There's a real concern among the judiciary and among lawyers that deepfake evidence will be increasingly used," he said. "It's easy to create it and anyone can do it on a phone, and it could be incredibly influential because judges and juries, just like all of us, are used to believing what you see."
Marchant pointed to a recent case in New York, where a man without a lawyer used an AI-generated avatar to argue his case in a lawsuit via video. It took only seconds for the judges to realize that the man addressing them from the video screen didn't exist at all.