Why a US Court Allowed a Dead Man to Deliver His Own Victim Impact Statement—via an AI Avatar

Why a US court allowed a dead man to deliver his own victim impact statement—via an AI avatar

In November 2021, in the city of Chandler, Arizona, Chris Pelkey was shot and killed by Gabriel Horcasitas in a road rage altercation.

AI lets road rage victim give his own statement in court

AI 'Reanimated' a Murder Victim Back to Life to Speak in Court (And Raises Ethical Quandaries)

AI avatars of dead people are teaching courses and testifying in court. Even with the best of intentions, the emerging practice of AI ‘reanimations’ is an ethical quagmire.

AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries

This screenshot of an AI-generated video depicts Christopher Pelkey, who was killed in 2021. Screenshot: Stacey Wales/YouTubeChristopher Pelkey was shot and killed in a road range incident in 2021. On May 8, 2025, at the sentencing hearing for his killer, an AI video reconstruction of Pelkey delivered a victim impact statement. The trial judge reported being deeply moved by this performance and issued the maximum sentence for manslaughter. As pa…