AI Video Brings Murder Victim to Courtroom to Address His Killer [WATCH]

An Arizona courtroom witnessed a first-of-its-kind moment Monday as a man who was fatally shot in a 2021 road rage incident “addressed” his killer through an artificial intelligence-generated video, as reported by The New York Post.

The AI simulation of the late Christopher Pelkey delivered a victim impact statement during the sentencing of Gabriel Horcasitas, the man convicted in his death.

Pelkey, 37, was killed during a confrontation with Horcasitas, now 50, in Chandler, Arizona. A jury found Horcasitas guilty of manslaughter in the case.

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During Monday’s hearing, Pelkey’s family presented a video featuring a digitally recreated version of him, believed to be the first time artificial intelligence has been used in a U.S. courtroom for such a purpose.

“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me: it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,” the AI-generated Pelkey said.

“In another life, we probably could have been friends. I believe in forgiveness and God who forgives. I always have, and still do.”

Pelkey’s family created the AI likeness using personal photographs and audio inputs. The simulated figure appeared in a gray baseball cap, olive green hoodie, and full beard, speaking with visible effort despite occasional audio misalignment.

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A separate image in the video showed a real photograph of Pelkey aged through a digital filter to illustrate what he might have looked like had he lived to old age.

“This is the best I can ever give you of what I would have looked like if I got the chance to grow old,” the AI version of Pelkey stated.

“Remember, getting old is a gift that not everybody has.”

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Todd Lang, who presided over the sentencing, was visibly affected by the video. “I love that AI,” he said before sentencing Horcasitas to 10 and a half years in prison—one year more than prosecutors had requested.

Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, wrote the script delivered by the AI. She told AZ Family that she felt compelled to let her brother “speak” at the hearing.

This is the first time a murder victim has spoken in court using AI.

Christopher Pelkey was killed in a 2021 road rage incident.

Through an AI-generated video, he delivered his impact statement to his killer.

What he said and what the judge said back is powerful. pic.twitter.com/f5S6qY7tXJ

— big machines (@bigmachinesAI) May 7, 2025

“I said, ‘I have to let him speak,’ and I wrote what he would have said,” Wales explained. “I want the world to know Chris existed.”

Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer acknowledged the technology’s potential and the need for caution.

“AI can also hinder or even upend justice if inappropriately used,” she said, noting that the court has formed a committee to evaluate the use of AI in legal proceedings.

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