Massachusetts teenager accused of killing mother and brother used ChatGPT, prosecutors say

Seventeen-year-old Arjun Aravind has been remanded without bail in Massachusetts following his arraignment for the double murder of his mother, 45-year-old Sudha Venkatesan, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf in Concord District Court to charges including two counts of murder and motor vehicle theft.

The victims were discovered in their Acton home on Tuesday after a tutor was unable to make contact and alerted the teenager’s father. Police found the younger brother on the first floor and the mother in the basement, both having suffered severe blunt force trauma. Aravind was arrested early Wednesday morning inside his mother’s stolen car in nearby Wayland.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan disclosed that digital evidence revealed Aravind had used ChatGPT and internet searches to draft gothic fiction and explore theoretical scenarios involving the killing of his family. Defense attorney Debra DeWitt requested a mental responsibility evaluation, stating her client appeared to be in a state of shock.