OpenAI Flags Former Goldman Sachs Analyst's ChatGPT Murder Threats Before FBI Referral Leads to His Arrest

A former Goldman Sachs analyst was arrested after OpenAI flagged ChatGPT conversations in which he repeatedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend, including writing, 'I'm gonna kill her by the end of this month' and 'If I can't have her then nobody can.'

The messages were reported to the FBI before federal agents passed roughly two months of his ChatGPT conversations to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Darren Zhou's ChatGPT Murder Threats Escalated

Darren Shida Zhou, 25, turned to ChatGPT after his roughly six-month relationship ended in March 2026. According to the arrest report, his messages escalated over the following weeks.

On 11 March, Zhou wrote, 'I'm gonna kill her.'

Three days later, he told ChatGPT, 'I know where her classes are as well and where she parks.'

He subsequently wrote that he planned to go to her house to kill her and himself. By 26 March, his threats had extended to her family. On 27 March, he allegedly wrote that he would rape and kill her if she did not give him another chance. On 28 April, he wrote, 'I'm going to shoot her.'

The arrest report also described an alleged murder-suicide plan. Zhou said he would wait for his former girlfriend in the car park of her gym with flowers. If she rejected his attempt to reconcile, Zhou allegedly planned to draw a gun, kill her and then kill himself.

OpenAI Flagged the ChatGPT Conversations

OpenAI reported Zhou's conversations to the FBI after the material was flagged for review over concerns about potential harm. Federal agents later passed the information to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in May.

Investigators then examined messages Zhou allegedly sent directly to his former girlfriend, including contacts made after she blocked him. Zhou continued calling and texting her using various app-generated phone numbers.

Deputies compared those messages with the ChatGPT conversations as part of their investigation. The case therefore involved both the AI conversations and alleged real-world contact with the woman.

Former Goldman Sachs Analyst Discussed Weapons

Zhou also allegedly told ChatGPT that he had obtained an AR-15-style rifle, a Glock handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun. He also said he had sent his former girlfriend photographs of guns, zip ties and latex gloves.

Authorities did not find firearms in his possession, while his lawyer disputed that Zhou actually owned any guns. The weapons should therefore be understood as items Zhou claimed to possess in the ChatGPT conversations, rather than independently confirmed possessions.

Zhou had worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs before the bank terminated his employment, according to reporting on the case.

Darren Zhou Was Arrested and Charged

Zhou was arrested in May after the FBI referral was passed to Palm Beach County authorities and investigators reviewed the ChatGPT conversations alongside information from his former girlfriend. He spent two days in the Palm Beach County Jail before posting $100,000 (£73,800) bail.

He was charged with aggravated stalking with a credible threat, written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

Zhou Pleads Guilty

Zhou pleaded guilty to all three felony charges on 13 August. Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer withheld adjudication and sentenced Zhou to eight years of probation under the plea agreement.

The sentence includes two years of electronic monitoring, a no-contact order barring contact with his former girlfriend and a ban on possessing weapons or firearms. Treatment and testing requirements were also imposed.