Indian-origin teen charged with murdering mother and brother, used AI to search for ways to kill family

A 17-year-old Indian-origin boy has been charged with killing his mother and younger brother in US. The accused reprteodly used ChaTGPT to discuss

In Short

• A tutor's failed visit triggered the well-being check at home
• Police found Sudha in the basement and Siddarth on first floor
• Authorities have not yet confirmed the weapon or exact cause

A 17-year-old Indian-origin boy has been charged with murdering his mother and younger brother at their home in Acton, Massachusetts, in the US. The accused, Arjun Aravind reportedly had been using ChatGPT to explore “theoretical ideas or fantasies” about killing his family, putting the AI chatbot at the centre of the murder investigation. He has now been charged with two counts of murder after the victims were found dead at their home in Acton.

According to multiple reports citing the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Acton Police, Aravind is accused of killing his mother, 45-year-old Sudha Venkatesan, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddarth Aravind, inside their family home on Martha Lane on Tuesday. He reportedly used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to explore and develop scenarios involving the killing of his family.

While the AI chatbot has safety measures designed to prevent harmful content, investigators reportedly found that Aravind used it to imagine violent scenarios, create characters and develop Gothic-style fictional stories around those ideas. Aravind allegedly fled the house after the killings in his mother’s Honda Accord.

The case came to light after a tutor arrived at the home shortly after 6.30pm for a scheduled appointment but could not get inside. She contacted Aravind’s father, who was also unable to reach his family and asked Acton Police to conduct a welfare check.

When officers arrived, they found both victims dead inside the house. Venkatesan was found in the basement, while Siddarth was found on the first floor. Officials said both had suffered obvious trauma. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet released the exact cause and manner of death, and investigators are still examining how the victims died and what weapon may have been used.

The accused is now in police custody, and the case remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, the case has again put ChatGPT under scrutiny, as the AI chatbot has increasingly been mentioned in investigations involving violent crimes. In another case in the US, Florida authorities opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI following a 2025 university shooting, alleging that the suspect had used ChatGPT to seek advice related to firearms and tactics. OpenAI has disputed responsibility and said it shared the suspect’s account information with law enforcement.

OpenAI says ChatGPT is designed to refuse requests for instructions or planning that could enable violence. The company also says it looks for patterns across conversations that may indicate a serious risk and can escalate cases for human review or contact law enforcement when there is an imminent and credible threat of harm.

ChatGPT is not alone in facing such scrutiny. In a recent case in Bengaluru, a man accused of killing three members of his partner’s family reportedly used Google Gemini for months to research and plan the murders. Investigators said he asked the chatbot questions about attacking people and disposing of bodies.

- Ends