Puerto Rico’s AI Test Case: When Evidence Lies
In San Juan, the courtroom felt tense. Elizabeth Torres, accused under Puerto Rico’s Law 54 on Domestic Violence, faced evidence that appeared undeniable: screenshots and an audio clip said to capture her voice. But what seemed certain unraveled into something far more unsettling; proof that the evidence itself had been manufactured by artificial intelligence.
When Screenshots Deceive
The defense, led by attorney Lic. Maritza Torres, worked with forensic experts Fernando Fernández and Lyanne Flores Báez to dismantle the case piece by piece. Screenshots that looked incriminating were exposed as digital illusions.
“This case proves that screenshots should never be admitted as standalone evidence,” stated Fernández. “Only full physical extractions from devices, conducted with forensic integrity, can ensure the authenticity of digital evidence — something that was not done in this case.”
The verdict made it clear: what courts once trusted as simple, visual “proof” can no longer stand on its own.
The Sound of a Synthetic Voice
If the falsified screenshots cracked the foundation, it was the audio that shook the entire structure. Flores, a forensic audio and acoustics expert, dug into the recording that allegedly carried Torres’s voice. Her analysis revealed a pattern of impossibilities: unnatural fundamental frequency, irregular formants, missing breath sounds, and abrupt changes in the waveform.
Every trace pointed to one conclusion: the voice was not human at all.
“A single minute of audio is all it takes to ruin someone’s life if not properly examined,” warned Flores. “Artificial Intelligence can now fabricate voices — and even videos — that appear real, and it’s critical that law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts stay educated and vigilant.”
A Precedent With Consequences
This decision marks the first known case in Puerto Rico where AI-manipulated evidence was formally challenged and rejected in court. The implications ripple far beyond this single trial. Digital evidence, once seen as objective and ironclad, now demands a higher standard of scrutiny.
The ruling doesn’t just clear Elizabeth Torres. It sends a warning: in an age where machines can conjure voices and forge visuals, the line between fact and fabrication has never been thinner.
About the Experts:
Fernando Fernández is an internationally recognized Private Investigator and Forensic Expert in Digital Evidence and Artificial Intelligence.
Lyanne Flores Báez is a Certified Forensic Analyst specializing in audio and acoustic forensics, with expertise in the detection of manipulated recordings and voice cloning.
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