Florida Judge Wears VR Headset to View Crime Evidence in Legal First
A Florida judge allowed a virtual reality (VR) simulation of an alleged crime to be submitted as evidence during a trial — in what is believed to be a courtroom first.
Judge Andrew Siegel of Broward County, Florida, set a legal precedent when he and lawyers in his courtroom wore a VR headset to watch a simulation of an alleged assault at the heart of a trial.
It is believed to be the first time VR technology has ever been admitted to evidence in any American courtroom.
On December 14, Judge Siegel and the lawyers in his courtroom wore VR headsets to better understand defendant Miguel Rodriguez Albisu’s testimony.
Albisu is charged with nine counts of aggravated assault with a firearm for pulling a gun on guests attending a wedding reception at Cielo Farms, a private venue he owns in Southwest Ranches, Florida, back in March 2023
According to court documents, Albisu wanted a wedding party cleared out by 10:30 P.M., but the guests believed they were entitled to stay until 11 P.M.
Albisu is accused of waving a gun to shut down the wedding reception after drunk attendees allegedly became unruly. However, Albisu says that he did it in self-defense.
In response, Albisu’s defense attorney Ken Padowitz asked Broward Circuit Judge Siegel and lawyers to wear VR headsets to view a 3D simulation of his account.
According to a report by Vice, an artist designed an immersive experience using the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to illustrate Albisu’s perspective of the night showing that the defendant was allegedly surrounded by drunk partygoers who were causing chaos at his venue.
There is reportedly footage, filmed by wedding guests, that shows Albisu holding a gun and yelling “Get out” — but not always looking where the gun is pointed. His attorney Padowitz argued that the VR recreation provides a clearer view of Albisu’s perspective.
“We put headsets on the judge, the prosecutors and the witness and the judge was able to see from my client’s own eyes, from his own perspective, what he faced when he was surrounded by intoxicated partygoers,” Padowitz said, according to Florida news outlet Local10.com.
“They grabbed him, and he felt at that point in time he needed to pull out his weapon to defend his own life and his property.”
Judge Siegel allowed the use of the VR demonstration as part of the courtroom hearing to determine whether the charges against the defendant should be dismissed. However, he didn’t confirm his permission to use VR with a jury if the case goes to trial.
“It may be the first time in the United States that virtual reality was admitted into a criminal hearing,” Padowitz said.
Padowitz believes that VR technology will increasingly be used in trials to help judges and juries visualize expert testimony. Local10.com reports that a growing body of research has shown that the human mind records a VR experience as a memory and this presents a host of questions legal scholars will likely explore.
