By Enitan Abdultawab
A 17-year-old Massachusetts boy has been accused of killing his mother and younger brother after prosecutors said he used ChatGPT to explore “theoretical ideas or fantasies” about killing his family.
Arjun Aravind, from Acton, was arraigned on Thursday in Concord District Court on two counts of murder, alongside charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
He was charged as an adult under Massachusetts law and pleaded not guilty. The court ordered him held without bail.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said investigators uncovered what she described as “concerning behavior” before the killings, including Aravind’s internet activity and his use of ChatGPT.
Ryan said the teenager allegedly used the artificial intelligence chatbot to “make searches including for theoretical ideas or fantasies regarding killing his family.”
Aravind is accused of killing his 45-year-old mother, Sudha Venkatesan, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, at the family’s home on Martha Lane in Acton.
Police were called to the residence shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday after Aravind’s father requested a welfare check.
According to authorities, the father had been at work and became concerned after a tutor who arrived at the house was unable to get inside. Repeated attempts to contact the family also went unanswered.
Officers who entered the house found Siddharth dead on the first floor. Venkatesan was later found dead in the finished basement.
Prosecutors said investigators found evidence of a violent physical struggle inside the home, with preliminary evidence indicating that both victims suffered blunt-force trauma. Their official causes of death are yet to be determined by the medical examiner.
Investigators also discovered that Venkatesan’s green Honda Accord was missing from the residence.
Aravind was found at about 3:40 a.m. Wednesday inside the vehicle in a parking lot in nearby Wayland, Massachusetts. He was arrested without incident.
Prosecutors said investigators recovered several items from the car that they believe corresponded with evidence from the crime scene, although authorities have not publicly identified those items.
Court documents reportedly indicate that Aravind’s father had become concerned about his son’s recent behaviour and internet use and had begun hiding knives inside the home.
Aravind’s lawyer, Debra DeWitt, requested a mental health evaluation for the teenager.
When the judge asked whether the request was related to Aravind’s competency to stand trial or his potential criminal responsibility, DeWitt said that had not yet been determined.
Aravind had also received treatment for an injury to his hand before Thursday’s court appearance and was medically cleared to attend the hearing.
The family had recently moved to Acton, an affluent community about 30 miles northwest of Boston, partly because of its schools and support system for their children, according to Aravind’s lawyer.
Aravind is expected to return to court on September 11 for a probable cause hearing.
The allegations against him have not been proven in court.
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