AI of dead Arizona road rage victim addresses killer in court

Chris Pelkey was killed In a road rage incident involving gunfire in Chandler, Arizona, in 2021.

Three-and-a-half years later, Pelkey appeared in an Arizona court To confront his murderer. Kind of.

“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,” says a video recording of Pelkey. “In another life, we probably could have been friends.”

"I stand by the concept of forgiveness, and a God who offers forgiveness. This has been my belief, both past and present," Pelkey goes on, adorned with a grey baseball cap and retaining his characteristic thick red and brown beard as seen during his lifetime.

Pelkey was 37 years old , deeply devoted to religion and a former Army combat soldier. In 2021, Horcasitas fired at Pelkey when they stopped at a red light; Pelkey had gotten out of his vehicle and was walking back toward Horcasitas’s car.

Pelkey’s appearance from beyond the grave was made possible by artificial intelligence in what could be the first use of AI to deliver a victim impact statement. Stacey Wales, Pelkey’s sister, told local outlet ABC-15 that she had a recurring thought when gathering more than 40 impact statements from Chris’s family and friends.

“What I continually returned to was, how would Chris respond?” Wales stated.

As AI spreads across society and enters the courtroom, the The US Judicial Conference Advisory Committee has made an announcement. that it will start soliciting public feedback as part of deciding how to oversee the use of AI-created evidence during trials.

Wales and her spouse provided an AI model with videos and audio recordings of Pelkey in hopes of generating a portrayal that aligns with the emotions and thoughts of the still-living Pelkey. Wales likened this process to creating a "love Frankenstein." local outlet Fox 10 .

Judge Todd Lang responded positively to the AI usage. Lang ultimately sentenced Horcasitas to 10-and-a-half years in prison on manslaughter charges.

“I loved that AI, thank you for that. As angry as you are, as justifiably angry as the family is, I heard the forgiveness,” Lang said. “I feel that that was genuine.”

In support as well was Pelkey’s brother John, who mentioned that witnessing his sibling's visage brought about "waves of healing" for him, and he feels certain that Chris would have granted forgiveness to his murderer.

“That was the man I knew,” John said.