Washington: A 17-year-old Indian-American boy in Acton, a town about 40 kilometres northwest of Boston, has been charged with murdering his mother and younger brother after investigators said he had used the Internet and ChatGPT to search for ideas or fantasies about killing his family.
Arjun Aravind, an Indian-origin teenager, faces two counts of murder in the deaths of his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his brother, Siddharth Aravind, 14, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said.
He has also been charged with two counts each of assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery. Other charges include theft of a motor vehicle and use of a vehicle without authority.
Police went to the family’s home on Martha Lane shortly after 6.37 pm Tuesday. Arjun’s father had called after being unable to reach his family.
A tutor who was expected at the house had also been unable to contact anyone inside. The father had last spoken with his wife early that morning before leaving for work. Siddharth was last seen around noon.
Officers found Siddharth on the first floor and Venkatesan in the finished basement. Both had suffered visible trauma.
Arjun was missing from the home. His mother’s green 2014 Honda Accord was also gone.
Police alerted other law enforcement agencies and asked the public to look for the teenager and the vehicle. Residents were warned not to approach him.
Early Wednesday, police in Wayland responded to an unrelated alarm in a parking lot on Andrew Avenue. Officers found the missing car with Arjun inside. He was taken into custody without incident.
“The subsequent investigation indicates that Arjun had recently been demonstrating concerning behaviour, including using the Internet and ChatGPT, to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasies regarding killing his family,” the district attorney’s office said.
Prosecutors alleged that Arjun fatally assaulted his mother and brother inside their home before fleeing in his mother’s car.
Authorities have not said what weapon or weapons may have been used. That part of the investigation remains active.
The precise cause and manner of the two deaths are also awaiting a determination by the chief medical examiner.
Arjun was arraigned in Lowell Juvenile Court oWednesday on the motor vehicle-related charges. Prosecutors said the murder and related assault charges would probably be brought in Concord District Court because the Juvenile Court does not have jurisdiction over murder charges.
The investigation is being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Acton Police and the Massachusetts State Police detective unit assigned to the prosecutor’s office. Police departments from eight nearby communities also assisted.
Acton is a suburban community in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and forms part of the Greater Boston region. The town is served by the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District.
Massachusetts law provides for an accused person aged 14 or older to be prosecuted as an adult when charged with murder. Other charges involving a juvenile may remain within the state’s juvenile court system.
