A 17-year-old teenager in the United States has been charged with murdering his mother and younger brother, with prosecutors revealing that he had previously used ChatGPT to explore “theoretical ideas or fantasy stories” involving the killing of his family.
Arjun Aravind, 17, faces two counts of murder and several other charges following the deaths of his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, at their home in Acton, Massachusetts.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said investigators found that Aravind had recently displayed concerning behaviour, including using the internet and ChatGPT for searches relating to theoretical scenarios or fantasy stories about killing his family.
Ryan said the teenager had used ChatGPT to create fictional, Gothic-style stories involving characters and scenarios that appeared to relate to threats against his family.
Police were called to the family home after Aravind’s father requested a welfare check when he was unable to contact his family and a tutor who arrived for a scheduled visit was unable to get inside.
Officers subsequently found Siddharth dead on the first floor of the house and Venkatesan dead in the basement. Authorities said both had suffered trauma, while the official causes of death remain subject to determination by the medical examiner.
Authorities allege Aravind left the house in his mother’s 2014 Honda Accord following the killings. He was arrested the following morning in nearby Wayland after police located him inside the vehicle.
A not-guilty plea was entered on Aravind’s behalf when he appeared in court. He was ordered held without bail.
The investigation into the double murder remains ongoing. (Newswire)