A 36-year-old individual was arrested in Espírito Santo after the FBI, the North American Federal Police, revealed that he planned the murder of his own son to avoid paying child support to his ex-partner. The intentions were admitted by the suspect in conversations with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s artificial intelligence system.
The capture took place on June 19, in the rural area of São Gabriel da Palha, located in the northwest of Espírito Santo, a few hours before the scheduled date for the crime, as reported by Ícaro Olimpio, deputy delegate of the Specialized Police Station for the Repression of Cybercrimes (DRCC). The Civil Police released details of the operation this Thursday (25).
In his interactions with Artificial Intelligence, the man openly detailed his plans to hire a killer to take the life of his son, the result of a previous relationship, with whom he had no contact.
During the conversations, the suspect also mentioned that he had a firearm, rope and cyanide, a toxic substance known for its lethality to the human body.
Additionally, the individual expressed his intention to commit attacks against institutions such as schools and churches, in addition to targeting public authorities, seeking to cause as many victims as possible. The man’s identity was not revealed by authorities.
FBI intervention and international denunciation
The alert reached the Specialized Police Station for the Suppression of Cybercrimes following a notification from the FBI, sent to the Brazilian police on June 16.
Delegate Ícaro Olímpio explained that the United States police force passed the details to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, which subsequently forwarded the crucial data to the Civil Police of Espírito Santo.
“The information was made available by the company that manages this Artificial Intelligence. By recording these interactions, we obtained substantial elements to prevent an extremely serious crime that was about to occur,” said the delegate. This case represents a milestone in the use of artificial intelligence data to prevent crimes, demonstrating the growing relevance of technological and international collaboration in public security.
The arrest, with the support of the São Gabriel da Palha Police Station (DP), was carried out after the issuance of preventive arrest and search and seizure warrants. The farmer was approached by police teams as he was preparing to leave his residence on the way to work.
“Initially, he refuted the accusations and denied all content present in interactions with Artificial Intelligence. However, based on this vast data archive and all the information provided to us, we proceeded to conclude the investigation with the certainty of having prevented acts of extreme violence”, added Olímpio.
The man was arrested in the act, and the Civil Police requested his arrest based on charges of threat, attempted murder and incitement to crime. The delegate clarified that the formal indictment has not yet taken place, as investigations are still ongoing.
“The seized objects are being sent for expert analysis. After issuing the technical report and completing all due diligence, the indictment will be formalized”, he concluded.