Arizona appeals court orders new sentencing after AI video of victim deemed unreliable

In a landmark decision, the Arizona Court of Appeals vacated Gabriel Paul Horcasitas’s ten-year manslaughter sentence for the 2021 shooting death of Christopher Pelkey and ordered a new sentencing. The court found the AI-generated video, created by Pelkey’s sister Stacey Wales to simulate his voice, unreliable because it presented imagined thoughts as the victim’s own. Horcasitas was originally convicted after a road-rage incident in Chandler, where he shot the unarmed Pelkey.

Defense attorney Kristen Reller argued the lower-court judge violated due-process by relying on the AI evidence, while prosecutors maintained the footage accurately reflected Pelkey’s character. The appellate panel highlighted the video’s undue emotional weight and lack of verification. This is believed to be the first U.S. case where a family used AI to craft a victim impact statement, raising questions about future courtroom use of synthetic media.