A US court has allowed virtual reality to be used as evidence in a trial for the first time. The judge and trial participants put on VR headsets to see a reconstruction of a self-defense case.
In 2023, a wedding venue owner was accused of threatening aggressive, drunken patrons with a gun. The defendant claimed he was acting in self-defense, and his son and wife were injured in the conflict — the woman injured her wrist.
The defendant’s lawyer convinced the judge and jury to look at the situation through his client’s eyes and commissioned a designer to recreate what happened based on CCTV footage.
Defense attorney Ken Padowitz noted that this is the first time virtual reality has been used in a preliminary hearing. The judge will decide whether the case will go to a jury trial. If so, the trial will continue in February.
