Teen charged with murder of mother and brother used ChatGPT to create ‘fantasy stories’ about killing family, officials say

By Karina Tsui, Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — A Massachusetts teen charged in the double murder of his mother and younger brother had used the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to search for “theoretical ideas or fantasy stories” about the killing of his family, prosecutors have said.

A plea of not guilty was entered Thursday for Arjun Aravind, 17, on two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member and other charges. His mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his brother, Siddharth Aravind, 14, were found dead Tuesday in their home in Acton, some 20 miles northwest of Boston, prosecutors said.

Arjun Aravind “had recently been demonstrating some concerning behavior, including using the internet and ChatGPT to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasy stories regarding the killing of his family,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told reporters Wednesday, citing the law enforcement investigation.

“He was engaged in the use of ChatGPT in creating fantasy stories, kind of the Gothic novel kind of stories, asking questions, creating characters, asking what about this, if this happened to that, and they seem to appear to relate to threats to his family not surviving,” Ryan said.

A “heavily damaged bloody laptop,” and “a bent utensil, possible [sic] a knife with an orange handle” were found at the scene, a police report obtained by CNN affiliate WCVB indicated. Venkatesan’s and Siddharth’s causes of death are still pending, Ryan said.

Aravind over the past year had had behavior issues and his family had hidden knives from him, the teen’s father said, WCVB reported, citing police reports.

The teen did not realize his mother and brother were dead until after he was arrested, his defense attorney, Debra DeWitt, told WCVB. CNN has asked her for comment.

AI technology allegedly has been linked to other criminal acts, and Florida this spring sued ChatGPT owner OpenAI, alleging the tool had “no parental oversight,” got minors addicted, caused users to lose “critical thinking skills,” helped mass shooters and encouraged suicide.

OpenAI believes minors “need significant protection” and has “put in place industry leading protections and policies,” it has said. CNN reached out Friday to OpenAI about this week’s murder case.

Aravind was ordered held without bail and to undergo a mental health evaluation. A probable cause hearing was set for September 11.

Police responded Tuesday to his family home after a tutor arrived for a scheduled visit and could not get in, Ryan said Wednesday in a news conference. The teen’s father was then notified and requested a wellness check.

Officers found the two victims inside – but not Aravind, who was believed to have fled using his mother’s 2014 green Honda Accord, she said. While responding to a separate incident Wednesday morning, police in neighboring Wayland found Aravind in his mother’s car in a parking lot and took him into custody.

The family had only recently moved to Acton for “better schools and support system for the kids,” DeWitt said.

“We put an enormous weight on our kids … We know the kids will be seeing and reading about this, likely on social media,” Ryan said. “This is an unspeakable tragedy. It is an incredibly dark day – obviously, an insurmountable tragedy for the dad in this case.”

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