Eric Patrick
A 37-year-old US Army veteran, Pelkey, who was killed nearly four years ago, has forgiven the suspect who fatally shot him
The late veteran forgave his killer through artificial intelligence on Thursday.
According to an online fundraiser, Christopher Pelkey was shot dead by Gabriel Paul Horcasitas while on his way home from a church softball game in Chandler, Arizona, on November 13, 2021.
Horcasitas has since been found guilty of Pelkey’s manslaughter, but before he was sentenced, the court heard from an AI-generated version of Pelkey himself.
The AI video, which has gone viral and was seen by First News on Thursday, was created by Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, who felt that the shooter needed to hear what the Army veteran would have told him.
“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me: It’s a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances.
“In another life, we probably could have been friends,’ it continued
“I believe in forgiveness and in [a] God who forgives. I always have and I still do.”
The four-and-a-half-minute-long video was also said to have included real video clips taken while Pelkey was still alive and showed a real photo he once took with an “old age.
“This is the best I can ever give you of what I would have looked like if I got the chance to grow old,” the AI version of the Army vet said.
“Remember, getting old is a gift that not everyone has, so embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles.”
He concluded by saying, “Well, I’m gonna go fishing now. Love you all. See you on the other side.”
The video was said to have moved Judge Todd Lang so thoroughly that he decided to sentence Horcasitas to 10 and half years in jail – one year more than the state prosecutors were asking for.
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“I love that AI,” he reportedly said after the video played in his courtroom.
“Thank you for that. I felt like that was genuine; that his obvious forgiveness of Mr. Horcasitas reflects the character I heard about today.”
He added that the video 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.
The judge told Wales, noting, “I didn’t hear him ask for the maximum sentence.”
The AI-generated video reportedly provided another benefit as well – giving Pelkey’s family some closure.
“There was something about seeing Chris and the man that I knew and the belief that I thought in my head that Chris would have forgiven this guy,” said his older brother, John, who, like the rest of the family, was unaware his sister was making the video.
“To see his face and to hear his voice say it, just waves of healing washed over my soul,” John continued. “Because that was the man I knew.”
Wales’ teenage son also thanked her in the aftermath, saying he “needed to hear from Uncle Chris one last time.”