Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Christopher Pelkey, who was shot and killed in November 2021 in a road rage altercation, made a victim impact statement, addressing the perpetrator personally.
Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, her husband, Tim Wales, and their friend Scott Yentzer made a digital AI likeness of Christopher.
They used Stable Diffusion with a Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) to create the video. The video is compiled with images and prerecorded audio files of Christopher, a few months before he died. His sister Stacey wrote the script.
The digitally made victim impact statement was shown to Judge Todd Lang of the Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona. In the nearly four-minute-long video, Christopher tells about his life and beliefs before the fatal run-in with Gabriel Horcasitas.
“I can’t tell you how humbled I am for those that spoke up for me, everyone who flew in, took off from work, and for everyone who has supported me and my loved ones through three-and-a-half years and two trials, I wish I could be with you all today,” Christopher says.
Then, Christopher's digital avatar addresses Horcasitas directly.
“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances. In another life, we probably could have been friends. I believe in forgiveness, in God who forgives, I always have and I still do.”
“Love each other because you never know how long you have. But make the most of each day and live your life. It’s okay to stumble. God has you. Remember, getting old is a gift that not everybody has. So, embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles,” the AI video concludes.
Following Christopher’s digital victim impact statement, Judge Lang responded by saying he was moved by the video.
“I feel that that was genuine, because obviously the forgiveness of Mr. Horcasitas reflects the character I heard about today. But it also says something about the family, because you told me how angry you were, and you demanded the maximum sentence. And even though that’s what you wanted, you allowed Chris to speak from his heart as you saw it. I didn’t hear him asking for the maximum sentence,” he said.
Judge Lang sentenced Gabriel Horcasitas to ten and a half years in prison, which is more than the nine years the prosecution was seeking for the killing.
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