An Unresolved Death, a Lawsuit, and a $500 Billion Quest for Artificial Intelligence
The denial of justice is a crime in and of itself. San Francisco authorities must release information to the family so they can pursue justice and properly grieve the loss of a son.
The Unresolved Mystery of Suchir Balaji's Death
In the heart of San Francisco, a legal battle unfolds, casting a shadow of doubt over the death of Suchir Balaji, a young, brilliant tech professional whose life ended tragically on November 26, 2024. Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, Suchir's parents, have filed a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco, seeking clarity and justice in the wake of their son's sudden demise.
A few weeks ago I was asked to help Suchir’s family. I was put in touch with Poornima Ramarao, Suchir’s mother, and reviewed in detail the photographs and videos from Suchir’s apartment that she provided. Having seen those images, I was able to create a 3D representation of the crime scene with estimations of where I suspected the weapon would be found and how certain elements of what was seen in the apartment could be explained.
The problem? We do not have the police report or official medical examiner reports. Without these important documents, Suchir’s family and loved ones cannot move on with their lives. If evidence exists that suggests Suchir did not kill himself intentionally or accidentally, the family deserves to have that so that they can pursue justice. If evidence is overwhelmingly conclusive that Suchir killed himself intentionally or accidentally, the family needs to know that as well so that they can properly grieve.
The case for accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound
Why would I say accidentally? Well thus far there is no evidence that he premeditated a suicide. There is no note, no cryptic emails or text messages, or any other indicators that he was considering suicide at all. However, Suchir was a young 26-year-old man with a Glock 9 in his possession.
I don’t see any evidence that Suchir was heavily trained in firearms safety, so I contacted Tori Branum, a Marine veteran and firearm instructor. According to Tori, the Glock-9 weapon has no safety and is semi-automatic, meaning after every firing the gun reloads another bullet into the chamber. An inexperienced or untrained owner might not realize that simply removing the cartridge is not enough. A bullet must be discharged from the weapon before the gun can be considered unloaded. In this scenario, Suchir may have been cleaning the gun or about to clean it (there was a gun brush out on the coffee table in the open weapon case). Suchir may have been looking at his gun in detail in the bathroom and accidentally discharged the weapon, resulting in his death. As one weapons expert said to Tori privately:
“a very bad design and a dangerous one is on a glock that you have to pull the trigger before dissembling it for cleaning, many people cycle the action then remove the magazine (incorrectly) believing it is cleared then pull the trigger to disassemble and Bang..”
The caveat with this hypothesis? We have no official documentation for where the gun was found in relation to the body, if there was a clip in the gun, and the position of the body upon discovery. This is why we need the evidence from the SFPD and medical examiner.
The case for foul play
The case for foul play has been covered heavily by others. Suchir was a whistleblower bringing negative attention to OpenAI, an organization that was supposed to be non-profit, but had recently moved to for-profit status, and was recently part of a presidential announcement of a 500 billion dollar investment into AI infrastructure in the United States.
Many have expressed concerns with OpenAI and its transition from non-profit to for-profit, violating the ethics upon which it was founded. Elon Musk has a lawsuit against OpenAI to block its conversion to a for-profit structure. According to some, Suchir was a star witness in Elon Musk’s lawsuit.
Elon Musk: “I don’t trust Sam Altman and I don’t think we want to have the most powerful AI in the world controlled by someone who is not trustworthy”.
Tucker Carlson interviewed Suchir’s mother Poornima and covered many strange aspects of her son’s death and how unusual it was that the medical examiner only investigated the apartment for 40 minutes. The city and county have refused to provide medical examiner reports to the family.
The family has been left with no choice but to sue the city and county.
The Lawsuit:
Suchir, at just 26, was known for his remarkable achievements, from his early coding prowess to his significant contributions at OpenAI. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but the circumstances surrounding it have left his family questioning the official narrative. The lawsuit, represented by attorneys Joseph M. Goethals, Charles P. Stone, and Kevin J. Rooney, centers on the California Public Records Act (CPRA), specifically under Government Code § 7920.000 et seq. The family accuses the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) of unlawfully withholding public records that could shed light on the true nature of Suchir's death.
in January, Suchir’s mother Poornima spoke with Tucker Carlson about the work Suchir had done and his status as a whistleblower against OpenAI led by Sam Altman.
Government Responsibility and Legal Grounds:
The CPRA mandates that government agencies provide access to public records upon request, with certain exceptions for ongoing investigations. However, according to the lawsuit, there's a contradiction in SFPD's statements, claiming the investigation was closed yet denying access to records on the basis of an "open investigation." This has led to accusations of non-compliance with:
Government Code § 7923.100: Which allows for court intervention when public records are improperly withheld.
Government Code § 7923.110: Stipulating that if refusal to disclose is unjustified, the court should order disclosure.
The family's legal team argues that such obstruction not only delays their quest for truth but also potentially violates the transparency the CPRA aims to ensure.
Public Outcry and Social Media Reaction:
The unusual circumstances of Suchir's death have ignited public curiosity and skepticism, particularly given his recent whistleblower activities against OpenAI. On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), there's been notable outcry:
Elon Musk, known for his interest in AI and transparency, posted: "This doesn’t seem like a suicide"
Other users have echoed calls for a deeper look into the case, with hashtags like #JusticeForSuchir and #SuchirBalaji gaining traction, highlighting the community's demand for accountability and truth.
The Family's Ordeal:
Since November 26, 2024, Poornima and Balaji have been on a relentless quest for answers. After discovering Suchir’s body, they were met with what they describe as a perfunctory investigation by SFPD. The private autopsy by Dr. Joseph Cohen revealed details that contradicted typical suicide patterns, such as the bullet's trajectory and an unexplained contusion on Suchir's head. Despite these findings, their requests for further investigation were largely ignored, fueling their decision to take legal action.
Conclusion:
The lawsuit by Suchir Balaji's family not only seeks to uncover the truth about their son’s death but also challenges the mechanisms of government transparency in sensitive cases. As this case unfolds, it underscores the broader issue of how whistleblowers are protected or potentially victimized, and the role of public agencies in ensuring transparency and justice. The outcome could set a precedent for future cases involving public records and the rights of bereaved families to know the full story behind their loved ones' deaths.
If this was an accidental self-inflected wound, it would be cruel for this family to suffer through uncertainty. Any efforts that San Francisco can take to alleviate this confusion should be taken as quickly as possible.
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so George Webb gave up his participation in that investigation?? All the pictures he gathered were indicating a presence of another person down there. The begin of the story in which the parents had to wait, how long, 2 days or so to get access to the body of their son??? That alone is already 'strange'. The status of the body, the wounds, blood types, the wig found down there, all extremely strange, and yet, nothing to see? The fact that this happened right after his trip to Catalina, where his flat was empty and accessible and right before that trial, in which he was essential, clearly exclude a suicide.. Is it known in what field the privacy breach in the data happened? The Stargate is all about health, thus maybe some health records gathering?? It was known already in 2020 that Zuck et al. gather the HUMAN samples from the PCR tests in order to do whole genome sequencing on the positive covid samples in order to do a research on susceptibility for covid..
Let's hope the parents will get some real help with that cover up.
The SF mayor supposedly is a friend of Altman..
That's a sad story. This fella likely was aware of the future of OpenAI (their partnership with the DoD). Timeline control is a clandestine pastime. Maybe he knew that OpenAI was already co-operating with the DoD long before they made an official statement about it. There's endless speculation, but I don't think he killed himself either.