Acton teen held without bail in murders of mother, brother linked to ChatGPT

An Acton, Massachusetts teenager charged with killing his mother and brother in a case linked to ChatGPT is being held without bail.

Arjun Aravind, 17, pleaded not guilty to murder and several other charges at his arraignment Thursday morning in Concord District Court.

He’s accused of killing his 45-year-old mother Sudha Venkatesan and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, in their home on Martha Lane Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutor Susan Wiseman said Thursday the official cause of death has not been determined yet, but she said it was “blunt force trauma” and that it was a “visible and violent struggle.”

Aravind was found several hours after the murders at 3:40 a.m. in his mother’s car in a parking lot in Wayland and was arrested.

There’s no word yet on a motive. At a news conference announcing Aravind’s arrest Wednesday, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the teen “had been recently demonstrating some concerning behavior, including using the internet and ChatGPT to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasy stories regarding the killing of his family.” 

Aravind is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on Sept. 11.