A 17-year-old boy in Massachusetts, United States, allegedly killed his mother and 14-year-old brother after using ChatGPT to search for “theoretical ideas or fantasy stories about the murder of his family,” prosecutors said.
Arjun Aravind, 17, of Acton, a Boston suburb, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his brother, Siddharth Aravind, 14.
He was also charged with assault and battery for allegedly using “a dangerous weapon, a laptop computer” to attack the two victims, according to a criminal complaint filed in Concord.
Investigators said they found “a heavily damaged and bloodied laptop” in the family’s home, which they believed was used during the attack.
Police also found what appeared to be a knife.
“A bent utensil, possibly an orange-handled knife, was also found in the area of the disturbance,” the complaint states.
What happened
Acton police officers went to the family’s home on Martha Lane around 6:37 p.m. Tuesday for a welfare check.
Aravind’s guardian, who had an appointment at the home at 4 p.m., “was unable to contact the residents upon his arrival,” prosecutors said.
Shortly after, Aravind’s father, who had left for work hours earlier, called the police.
Officers then “found both victims dead inside,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.
Siddharth was found on the first floor, while his mother was found in the basement.
The complaint said the boy was found “with massive trauma to the head” and “lying in a pool of blood.”
Venkatesan was found with “serious trauma” to her head and face. He also had “a sharp rod in his stomach indicating that some object was being used as a weapon,” according to the complaint.
“As officers cleared the residence, significant biological evidence was observed in and around the bodies,” the probable cause statement said.
ChatGPT searches before the murders
Prosecutors said Aravind had used ChatGPT hours before the murders to write about fictional characters killing their parents.
According to the complaint, he wrote: “Wait, when Adrian kills his parents, I could see him luring one to chat in the basement like he’s always been forced to do, but what excuse would he use to take their phone?”
He also wrote: “perhaps before killing mom coldly reveals Adrián,” according to the complaint.
Ryan said Aravind had recently displayed what researchers described as concerning behavior related to the Internet and ChatGPT.
“So far, the investigation has shown that Arjun had recently been demonstrating some concerning behaviors, including using the Internet and ChatGPT to conduct searches for theoretical ideas or fantasy stories about the murder of his family,” Ryan told reporters Wednesday.
A representative for OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ryan said the searches appeared to involve fictional stories and characters, but were related to threats involving Aravind’s family.
“He was involved in using ChatGPT to create fantasy stories, a kind of gothic novel, asking questions, creating characters, asking what would happen to this if this happened to that, and they seem to be related to threats to his family,” Ryan said.
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The family would have hidden knives
According to the complaint, Aravind had been experiencing “behavioral problems” and had been involved in “Internet-related activities.”
The family had reportedly been hiding knives in the house to prevent him from having access to them.
Ryan said it was unclear which victim was killed first.
Siddharth had gone to a recreation center around 9 a.m. and returned home shortly after noon on the day of the murders.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy,” Ryan said. “It’s an incredibly dark day. Obviously, in this case it’s an insurmountable tragedy for the father.”
A 17-year-old boy arrested in his family’s car
After the murders, Aravind and his mother’s green 2014 Honda Accord disappeared from the house.
An alarm went off in a parking lot about 13 miles away in Wayland early Wednesday morning.
Officers “recognised that license plate and Arjun was inside that car,” Ryan said.
“The police detained him without incident,” he added.
Aravind was found asleep inside the vehicle. Police also found bedding and “large quantities of cereal and protein energy bars.”
According to the complaint, a person whose name was redacted from the court document went to a nearby supermarket around 4 p.m. Tuesday and purchased “an enormous” amount of cereal and energy bars.
“This employee reported that this purchase exceeded $2,000 and when questioned, advised that he had plans to sell the items,” the complaint states.
The police had previously dealt with the family after Aravind was reported missing in 2025.
Acton Police Chief Douglas Sturniolo said the incident was treated as an out-of-control case and did not involve threats of violence.
Aravind’s attorney, Debra DeWit, urged the public not to jump to conclusions before the case is heard.
“My client is distraught and confused,” he said. “It’s a tragedy for everyone.”
Aravind pleaded not guilty on Thursday and was ordered held in custody without bail.
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