The man accused of trying to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s home in San Francisco made his first court appearance on state charges on Tuesday and was ordered held without bail, according to court records and officials.
San Francisco Judge Kenneth Wine ordered Daniel Moreno-Gama held without bail after the brief hearing, where Moreno-Gama, described as 20 years old, was in an orange jail uniform and responded “yes” to a judge’s question about continuing his arraignment. The judge set the next arraignment for May 5, the AP reported.
According to authorities, Moreno-Gama threw the incendiary device at Altman’s home Friday, setting an exterior gate on fire before fleeing on foot. Authorities said Moreno-Gama then went to OpenAI’s headquarters about three miles away less than an hour later and threatened to burn down the building. Officials said no one was injured at Altman’s home or at the company’s offices.
While prosecutors pursued state charges in California court, Moreno-Gama also faces federal accusations, according to the report. In Monday actions described by officials, FBI agents went to his home in a Houston suburb and later left, and federal prosecutors charged him with possession of an unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Moreno-Gama’s public defender Diamond Ward said the prosecution’s framing of the case was unfair. Ward said Moreno-Gama was autistic and was in an “acute mental health crisis,” arguing that prosecutors were treating what she described as a vandalism case as an attempted murder case to gain support.
Ward also said it was “unfair and is unjust for the San Francisco district attorney and the federal government to fearmonger and to exploit the mental illness of a vulnerable, young man” by turning what she said was vandalism into an attempted murder case. She made the case during a news conference and contrasted her view of the conduct with what prosecutors were seeking to prove.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins disputed the defense’s characterization that the charges were overcharged. Jenkins said the case involved a “targeted attack on Mr. Altman” and said prosecutors had evidence to support the charges, adding that prosecutors would act the same way whether the victim was a billionaire, a CEO, or “any average San Franciscan.”
At the same time, Jenkins said penalties under the state charges range from 19 years to life in prison. Authorities said Moreno-Gama is charged in California state court with two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson, and Jenkins alleged that Moreno-Gama tried to kill both Altman and a security guard at Altman’s residence.
Officials also tied the case to statements Moreno-Gama allegedly made in writings and threats before the attacks. Authorities said Moreno-Gama expressed hatred of artificial intelligence in his writings, describing it as a danger to humanity and warning of “impending extinction,” according to court filings described in the report.
FBI San Francisco Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said during a news conference Monday that the incident was “planned, targeted and extremely serious.” U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said federal authorities would treat the matter as an act of domestic terrorism and prosecute “to the fullest extent of the law.”
In statements described by the AP, Moreno-Gama’s parents said he has never harmed anyone and that he recently began having mental health issues. Two advocacy groups that have warned about AI’s risks also condemned the violence, while Discord said it banned Moreno-Gama for “off-platform behavior,” according to the report.