Three years after American Chris Pelkey was shot dead during a road rage incident, his family used artificial intelligence to let him “speak” in court to the man who killed him.
At the sentencing hearing for Gabriel Gorcasitas—who had already been found guilty by a jury—Pelkey’s family presented a video in which a digitally recreated version of Chris addressed the defendant. The AI-generated message was crafted using voice recordings, video clips, and photos of Pelkey, who was 37 at the time of his death.
His sister, Stacey Wales, created the video herself, writing the message that her brother “delivered” in court:
“Gabriel Gorcasitas, the man who shot me, it’s a shame we crossed paths that day under such circumstances. In another life, we might have been friends. I believe in forgiveness and in a God who forgives. I always have, and I still do.”
The powerful message was played during the sentencing, nearly four years after the fatal incident.
Judge Todd Lang appeared moved by the use of AI in the courtroom and sentenced Gorcasitas to 10.5 years in prison for manslaughter.
“I really liked the AI. Thank you for that,” Lang said. “No matter how angry you were, no matter how justifiably angry the family was—I heard forgiveness. And I believe it was sincere.”
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