AI of dead Arizona road rage victim addresses killer in court

In 2021, Chris Pelkey, a 37-year-old Army combat veteran, was killed in a road rage incident in Chandler, Arizona. He was shot by Gabriel Horcasitas after approaching Horcasitas’s car at a red light. In a groundbreaking moment, Pelkey appeared in court three and a half years later—via an AI-generated video—to deliver a victim impact statement to his killer.

Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, spearheaded the creation of the AI video, which was built from archived videos and audio of Chris to replicate what he might have said had he been alive. She referred to it as a “Frankenstein of love,” aiming to bring his values and voice back for the sentencing. Judge Todd Lang responded positively to the AI’s emotional authenticity and sentenced Horcasitas to 10.5 years in prison for manslaughter.

This case marks a potential first for the use of AI to deliver a posthumous victim impact statement. As AI continues to enter courtrooms, the U.S. Judicial Conference advisory committee plans to gather public input on how to regulate AI-generated evidence. The Pelkey family, including Chris’s brother John, felt the AI message aligned with who Chris truly was and found it healing.

For more information see “AI of dead Arizona road rage victim addresses killer in court,” The Guardian, May 6, 2025. 

Special thanks to Deborah Matthews (Virginia Estate Planning Attorney) for bringing this article to my attention.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2025/05/ai-of-dead-arizona-road-rage-victim-addresses-killer-in-court.html