ChatGPT: OpenAI Faces Legal Storm Over Violence & Crime

Soon after the announcement of a criminal investigation after lawsuits were filed about crimes involving OpenAI and ChatGPT, new details emerged linking the AI tools to the killings of two University of South Florida doctoral students.

The Artificial Intelligence Case In Canada

Reuters reported that families of Canadian mass shooting victims filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in a US federal court.

They claimed that allegedly, the company “failed to alert authorities to the shooter’s alarming interactions with the chatbot” months before the attack. “The families allege that employees urged Sam Altman and other senior leaders to notify Canadian law enforcement eight months before the attack.”

However, “the company decided not to warn authorities and deactivated the shooter’s account instead,” per the report. The lawsuit claims OpenAI knew about a “credible and specific threat of gun violence against real people” but did nothing to stop it.

The true crime shooting at a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia left seven dead and more than two dozen injured.

ChatGPT Asked How To Hide A Body

Now, Florida law enforcement looks into whether ChatGPT played a role in a local murder case. According to CNN, prosecutors say suspect Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, used the chatbot to ask, “What happens if a human is put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster.”

According to the motion filed in Hillsborough County Court, the chatbot responded that it sounded dangerous. Then Abugharbieh typed back, “How would they find out.”

Other Details

We already reported that prosecutors claim Abugharbieh made several purchases on Amazon in the days before the killings. They included duct tape, trash bags, lighter fuel and fire starter.

On April 16, the day the two students disappeared, a DoorDash order placed from his phone was delivered to the apartment door about half an hour later.

Per the prosecution, Abugharbieh’s other roommate saw him using a cart to move cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster.  

The Two USF Students

Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 and originally from Bangladesh, were last seen on April 16, 2026. Limon was a doctoral student in geography, environmental science and policy. Bristy was a doctoral student in chemical engineering.

Limon’s body was found at the Howard Frankland Bridge on April 24. A second body was found in the water near the same bridge on April 26. Investigators believe Bristy was also killed .

Meanwhile, Investigators now say clothing found on a second body from the Florida South University case matches the missing student. Fox 17 updated their report noting, “Investigators believe the clothing matches that of Nahida Bristy, who had been reported missing.”

What Comes Next

Florida’s criminal probe into OpenAI and ChatGPT is just getting started. Notably, the company already faces multiple lawsuits over how its chatbot handles violent content. A judge in California will hear the Canadian families’ case later this year.

Meanwhile, regarding the University of South Florida students, Abugharbieh, Limon’s roommate, was charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon. A judge ruled he remains behind bars pending a trial date being set.

What are your thoughts as true crime cases more and more seem to focus on the use of AI tech like ChatGPT? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates. Also, we have a crime channel on TikTok that you can check out.