Manslaughter sentence tossed over AI-generated video of slain victim used at trial
A man convicted of manslaughter had his prison sentence tossed by an appellate court over the use of an AI generated video depicting his slain victim.
An appellate court overturned a 10-year prison sentence for Gabriel Paul Horcasitas, convicted of manslaughter in a 2021 road rage incident, after discovering the judge had used an AI-generated video in his sentencing hearing. The three-judge panel from the Arizona Court of Appeals found the use of the AI video, created by Horcasitas' sister Stacey Wales, to be prejudicial and crossed a line.
The video, featuring Pelkey's likeness and voice, played to the judge during the May 2025 hearing and contained a message of forgiveness. The appellate judges ruled that the video erased the interpretive distance between the family's belief about Pelkey's intentions and his actual voice and opinions. Horcasitas' appellate attorney and the Maricopa County District Attorney's office declined to comment on the decision.
Wales, who wrote the script for the AI-generated video, told ABC News that she and her family stand by their decision to use the technology to give Pelkey a voice.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News (US)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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