Arizona man shot to death in road rage 'returns' to address his killer

Arizona man shot to death in road rage 'returns' to address his killer

By Rashika Kumar
08/05/2025
Source: NPR

Chris Pelkey died in a road rage shooting in Arizona three years ago but with the help of artificial intelligence, he returned earlier this month at his killer's sentencing to deliver a victim's statement himself.

Pelkey’s family members said they used the burgeoning technology to let Pelkey use his own words to talk about the incident that took his life.

While some experts argue the unique use of AI is just another step into the future, others say it could become a slippery slope for using the technology in legal cases.

His sister Stacey Wales says they used voice recordings, videos and pictures of Pelkey, who was 37 when he was killed, to recreate him in a video using AI.

Wales says she wrote the words that the AI version read in court based on how forgiving she knew her brother to be.

The technology was used at his killer's sentencing - Gabriel Horcasitas already had been found guilty by a jury - some four years after Horcasitas shot Pelkey at a red light in Arizona.

The Arizona judge who oversaw the case, Todd Lang, seemed to appreciate the use of AI at the hearing.

He sentenced Horcasitas to 10-and-a-half years in prison on manslaughter charges.

Source: BBC

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