A 17-year-old Indian-origin boy has been charged with allegedly murdering his mother and younger brother at their home in Acton, Massachusetts, in the United States.
According to reports, Arjun Aravind allegedly fatally assaulted his mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, inside their home on Tuesday before fleeing the scene. He was arrested Wednesday morning in nearby Wayland.
Arjun faces two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery on a household or family member, two counts of assault and battery, as well as charges related to the unauthorised use and theft of a motor vehicle.
The murder came to light after police received a call from Arjun’s father at around 6:37 pm on Tuesday requesting a welfare check at the family’s home. The father told police that a tutor had been unable to enter the house and that he had been unable to reach his family members.
The father had last spoken to his wife, Sudha, early Tuesday morning before leaving for work. Siddharth was reportedly last seen around noon.
When officers arrived at the residence, Siddharth was found on the first floor, while his mother was discovered in the basement. The chief medical examiner has yet to determine the exact cause and manner of their deaths. Authorities are also investigating what weapon was used in the alleged killings.
"Investigators attempted to located Arjun but were not immediately successful and notified law enforcement and members of the public to be on the lookout. Early this morning, police in Wayland, responding to an unrelated alarm call in a parking lot on Andrew Avenue, located the suspect vehicle with Arjun inside. Arjun was taken into custody by police without incident," Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.
According to ABC News, Ryan said Arjun had allegedly displayed “some concerning behavior”, including making internet and ChatGPT searches related to the killing of his family.
Ryan said Arjun allegedly used ChatGPT to create “fantasies, stories, kind of the gothic novel kind of stories”, including questions and characters that “seemed to appear to relate to threats to his family”.
Arjun was expected to be arraigned in Lowell Juvenile Court on Wednesday. However, because the Juvenile Court does not have jurisdiction over murder charges, he is expected to face the murder and related assault charges in Concord District Court.
