Allegedly Violent ChatGPT Chats Led OpenAI To Call FBI, PBSO.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher | PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Palm Beach County man whose alleged violent ChatGPT conversations were flagged by OpenAI and turned over to the FBI has pleaded guilty just months after his arrest, court records show. Darren Shida Zhou, 25, entered a guilty plea on August 13 to felony charges of written threats to kill or do bodily injury, aggravated stalking, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device — the same charges filed after investigators say OpenAI alerted law enforcement in May to messages in which Zhou described plans to rape, kidnap and kill his ex-girlfriend. The case moved from arrest to a negotiated plea in under three months.
The case was referenced by The Washington Post on Thursday in an article about AI chats ending up in court.
Under the plea agreement, a judge withheld adjudication on all three counts and sentenced Zhou to eight years of probation, including two years on a GPS ankle monitor under community control. Zhou was ordered to take part in a court-approved batterers’ intervention program, completion of a mental health evaluation with any recommended treatment and medication, a ban on possessing weapons or firearms, random drug and alcohol testing, submission of two DNA samples, and no contact with the victim.
The case first surfaced in May, when documents show the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified through the FBI of an emergency disclosure from OpenAI/ChatGPT concerning messages Zhou allegedly sent over roughly two months detailing an escalating murder-suicide plan against his ex-girlfriend, including specific weapons he claimed to have purchased and details about tracking her schedule and location. A subsequent PBSO investigation cross-referenced those chat records with harassing anonymous messages the victim had allegedly received and preserved. Detectives said the messages matched details unique to Zhou.
Zhou, according to motions and documents, remains in recovery. He is currently seeking a court’s permission to spend more time in an area gym.
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