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 of Acton was arraigned Thursday at Concord District Court on two counts of murder, as well as charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery. He was charged as an adult, pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said investigators found “concerning behavior” before the killings, including Aravind’s internet activity and use of ChatGPT. She said he allegedly used the 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 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, at their Martha Lane home in Acton.
Police arrived shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after Aravind’s father requested a welfare check. He had been at work and became concerned when a tutor could not enter the house and repeated calls went unanswered.
Officers found Siddharth dead upstairs and Venkatesan dead in the finished basement. Prosecutors said there were signs of a violent struggle, with early evidence showing both suffered blunt-force trauma. Their official causes of death remain pending.
Venkatesan’s green Honda Accord was also missing. Aravind was found around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday inside the car in a Wayland parking lot and arrested without incident.
Prosecutors said investigators recovered items from the car believed to match crime-scene evidence, but have not identified them.
Court documents reportedly say Aravind’s father had become worried about his son’s behaviour and internet use and had started hiding knives in the home.
Aravind’s lawyer, Debra DeWitt, requested a mental health evaluation. She said it was not yet known whether it concerned his competency to stand trial or criminal responsibility.
Aravind had treatment for a hand injury before the hearing and was medically cleared to attend.
According to DeWitt, the family recently moved to Acton, about 30 miles northwest of Boston, partly for its schools and support system.
Aravind is due back in court September 11 for a probable cause hearing.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
