ChatGPT Detects Murder Plan, Man Arrested in Florida
A 25-year-old Goldman Sachs financial analyst repeatedly shared detailed plans to murder, rape, and kidnap his ex-girlfriend with ChatGPT. OpenAI reported the conversations to the FBI, leading to his arrest; he was subsequently convicted and received a suspended sentence with probation and electronic monitoring.
What happened
Darren Zhou, 25, a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs West Palm Beach, repeatedly told ChatGPT in March 2026 that he planned to rape, kidnap, and murder his ex-girlfriend. Court records showed he wrote messages stating 'I will kill her by the end of this month' and 'If I can't have her, no one can.'
Zhou described specific scenarios to ChatGPT, including waiting with flowers at the ex-girlfriend's gym parking lot and shooting her if she refused him, then shooting himself. He also described plans to coerce her to his home for sexual assault, and to kill her entire family. He told ChatGPT he had purchased AR-15 rifles, Glock pistols, and shotguns, and sent photos of firearms and zip ties to his ex-girlfriend. He also sent harassing and threatening messages through multiple phone numbers and applications.
OpenAI detected the harmful conversation pattern and reported it to the FBI. The FBI passed two months of conversation records to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in May 2026.
Reported impact
The ex-girlfriend did not report Zhou to police out of fear, instead taking screenshots of threatening messages. A sheriff's deputy who reviewed the messages described them as a pattern of repeated planning and rehearsal rather than vague emotional venting.
Goldman Sachs dismissed Zhou after learning of the incident in early June 2026.
Index analysis
OpenAI's detection and reporting of the threatening messages prevented a potential violent crime. However, OpenAI previously faced criticism for failing to report similar concerning messages to authorities in a British Columbia shooting case, and that case led to a wrongful death lawsuit against the company.
Governance controls
OpenAI classified Zhou's conversation pattern as an emergency and reported it to the FBI. Zhou was arrested in May 2026, held for two days, and released on a $100,000 bail.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.