Source: Yahoo News

Yahoo News reports on a groundbreaking legal development in Weber County, Utah, as of December 17, 2025. Prosecutors are planning to utilize artificial intelligence to replicate the voice of Joyce Yost, a woman who was murdered in 1985, for the upcoming sentencing hearing of her killer, Douglas Lovell. This unprecedented move aims to allow the victim to virtually deliver a statement or have her previous testimony read in her own likeness, thereby intensifying the emotional impact of the proceedings.

The initiative represents a novel application of generative AI within the criminal justice system, raising complex questions regarding ethics, admissibility, and the rights of victims and defendants. The prosecutors argue that using AI to recreate Yost's voice will provide a more powerful and authentic representation of the harm caused, effectively giving the victim a "voice" in the courtroom decades after her death. The technology would analyze available recordings of Yost to synthesize speech that mimics her intonation and cadence.

This proposal has sparked a debate among legal experts about the potential for prejudice and the emotional manipulation of the court. While victim impact statements are a standard part of sentencing, the use of synthetic media to "resurrect" a deceased victim introduces new territory for judicial discretion. The court's decision on whether to permit this AI-generated content could set a significant precedent for how technology is integrated into criminal trials and sentencing phases across the country.