An Arizona appeals court has vacated a man's 10.5-year prison sentence after a judge relied on an AI-generated video appearing to show the victim forgiving him. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled on 30 September 2026 that admitting the video at sentencing was a fundamental error that denied Gabriel Paul Horcasitas a fair sentencing process.
Horcasitas' manslaughter conviction remains in place, and the court rejected a separate challenge over text messages from Pelkey's phone that were excluded at trial. The case stems from the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Christopher Pelkey during a road rage confrontation at a red light in Chandler, Arizona, in November 2021.
