Judge D. Steven Williams

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Arizona court vacates sentence over AI video of dead victim

Authored unanimous ruling vacating sentence

An Arizona appeals court vacated a manslaughter sentence because a judge watched an AI-generated video of the dead victim speaking about forgiveness before imposing prison time. Judge Todd Lang said "I loved that AI" and sentenced Gabriel Horcasitas to 10 1/2 years, more than the nine years prosecutors sought.

Updated Oct 16

Notable Quotes

Rather than document an event or recording a particular moment, the AI video presents a depiction of the victim and his thoughts created from the imaginings of the victim's sister.

from Arizona court vacates sentence over AI video of dead victim · Updated Oct 16

While the record does not reflect precisely how the AI video factored into the sentencing calculus, there is no question it played a role.

from Arizona court vacates sentence over AI video of dead victim · Updated Oct 16