"It is a shame we encountered each other that day," a voice from the grave echoed throughout a Phoenix courtroom. "In another life, we probably could have been friends." The voice sounded a lot like Chris Pelkey, a 37-year-old U.S. Army veteran fatally shot more than three ago during a road-rage attack in Chandler, Arizona. But it wasn't actually Pelkey. What onlookers heard on May 1 in a Maricopa County courtroom was a replica made using artificial intelligence, and both images and voice recordings of Pelkey, his older sister, Stacey Wales, told USA TODAY. The AI replica's voice rang out during a sentencing hearing for the man who shot Pelkey in November 2021: 54-year-old Gabriel Paul Horcasitas. Pelkey's voice forgave Horcasitas: "I believe in forgiveness and in God. I always have, and I still do." Prosecutors charged Horcasitas with murder and endangerment because he also shot a nearby vehicle with a woman and two children inside, according to a probable cause statement obtained by USA TODAY. None of them were hurt. Back in 2023, Horcasitas was found not guilty on the murder charge and guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter, his lawyer, Jason Lamm, told USA TODAY on May 9. A new trial was ordered due to a prosecutor failing to disclose exculpatory evidence, and the new trial began in March 2025, Lamm said. Horcasitas pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and was also found guilty of manslaughter, Lamm said. He was sentenced to 10 1⁄2 years and will serve 85% of that, Lamm said. His team has filed a notice of appeal. Recently, Pelkey's family worked with Jessica Gattuso of Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, which provides pro bono legal representation, social services and training. Gattuso encouraged the family to humanize Pelkey, and gathered about 50 letters of support, including family, friends, elementary school teachers and military buddies, Wales said. Wales also said a video of the shooting that took her brother's life was shown in court. "The only thing the judge knew about my brother during trial was the video of him being blown away on the street from closed circuit TV," she said, adding that the judge also saw his autopsy photo. "That doesn't convey a lot of humanity." As Wales sat down to work on her own statement a week before the sentencing, she found it hard to summarize her brother, who impacted so many people, she said. She wondered what he would say, and she knew her brother would forgive his shooter, despite not forgiving the shooter herself. "I was able to write what he would say or what I thought he would say in five minutes," she said. Her husband and a colleague who work in tech helped her create the replica, she said. When it was completed, her husband was moved to tears. "This really felt like a true representation of the man we knew," Wales said. "We had one goal, which was to humanize Chris and to make a judge feel, and I believe that we were successful in doing so." On Nov. 13, 2021, Wales said that Horcasitas cut her brother off before the deadly interaction. Her brother then drove up in front of Horcasitas' car. Witnesses said that Pelkey was at a red light when Horcasitas pulled up behind him in a Volkswagen. When Horcasitas honked his horn, Pelkey got out of his truck and approached the man's car, according to a court record. Pelkey raised both of his hands in the air as if he was saying, "What the heck?" the document said. Pelkey was walking toward Horcasitas's car when witnesses heard shots, the statement said. Pelkey then went back to his truck and collapsed. Horcasitas gave a witness a trauma kit so they could try and help Pelkey, then went back to his vehicle with his hands in the air and his gun in its holster, the document said. When police interviewed Horcasitas, he said he honked his horn at Pelkey after pulling up behind his truck "as a friendly gesture." He claimed Pelkey threatened to beat him up and had his fists clenched. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Todd Lang, who presided over the case, said he "loved that AI" and its message of forgiveness. He said hearing the AI replica forgive Horcasitas spoke to Pelkey's character, as well as his family's character. Speaking to the family, Lang said he recalled some loved ones asking for the maximum sentence. "Even though that's what you wanted, you allowed Chris to speak from his heart as you saw it," Lang told Pelkey's family. "I didn't hear him ask for the maximum sentence." Lamm said that once the defense team reviews transcripts, the use of AI will likely be brought up to the appellate court. His initial reaction to the replica was shock and he found it a bit "cringey to reincarnate someone and then put words in their mouth." "While victims have an absolute right to address the court at sentencing, my view is that this crossed the line of not only ethics and morals, but good taste," Lamm said. He added that during the incident in November 2021, witnesses saw Pelkey behaving aggressively and he allegedly said: "Do you want a piece of me?" "Those were his last words, not simply what was said on the AI," Lamm said. Wales said that during sentencing, the judge took into account previous letters of support for her brother, as well as the AI replica. "This was only the capstone in 49 other voices that encompassed his life," she said. Wales said her brother was generous, and served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq while in the U.S. Army. His AI replica was based on real thoughts and feelings he had, she said. On May 1, the voice pushed those listening to love each other and live fully because time is short. "Embrace it, and stop worrying about those wrinkles," the replica said. "I'm going to go fishing now. Love you all. See you on the other side." Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia–the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Slain Arizona man's AI replica speaks to shooter in court
