Attorney for suspect in attack at Sam Altman’s home says he was in midst
of 'mental health crisis'
[April 15, 2026]
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man accused of trying to kill OpenAI CEO Sam
Altman by throwing a Molotov cocktail at his San Francisco home was
experiencing a mental health crisis and has been overcharged by
prosecutors, his public defender said Tuesday.
Daniel Moreno-Gama made his first court appearance on state charges with
disheveled hair and wearing an orange jail uniform. The 20-year-old,
whose attorney said is autistic, kept his gaze down during the brief
hearing and softly answered “yes” when asked by a judge whether he
agreed to continue his arraignment. San Francisco Judge Kenneth Wine
ordered him held without bail and set his arraignment for May 5.
Authorities say Moreno-Gama, of Spring, Texas, hurled the incendiary
device at Altman’s home Friday, setting an exterior gate on fire before
fleeing on foot. Less than an hour later, Moreno-Gama went to OpenAI’s
headquarters about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away and threatened to burn
down the building, they said. They said he traveled to the city from
Texas.
No one was injured at Altman’s home or the company's offices. San
Francisco Deputy Public Defender Diamond Ward called the case a
“property crime, at best,” and said that prosecutors are pursuing higher
charges to curry favor for Altman. Moreno-Gama also faces federal
charges.
“It is 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 a vandalism case into an attempted
murder, life exposure case to gain support of a billionaire, and to get
political points at the expense of true justice for everyone involved,”
Ward said.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins disputed that he was
overcharged, saying Moreno-Gama carried out a “targeted attack on Mr.
Altman” and that prosecutors had evidence to back up the charges. She
said prosecutors would act the same whether the victim was a
“billionaire or a CEO or any average San Franciscan.”
“Regardless of a victim's status, they all deserve justice and they all
deserve safety,” she said.
Moreno-Gama’s parents said in a statement he has never harmed anyone and
recently began having mental health issues.
“We have been trying our best to address these issues and get him
effective treatment, and we are very concerned for his well-being,” they
said.
Authorities said Moreno-Gama, who works part-time at a pizzeria and is
attending community college, expressed hatred of artificial intelligence
in his writings, describing it as a danger to humanity and warning of
“impending extinction,” according to court filings.
“This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely
serious,” FBI San Francisco Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo
said during a news conference Monday.
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Daniel Moreno-Gama, middle, appears in court with public defenders
Diamond Ward, left, and Nuha Abusamra on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in
San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool)
Moreno-Gama is charged in California state court with two counts of
attempted murder and attempted arson. He tried to kill both Altman
and a security guard at Altman’s residence, Jenkins alleged.
Officials have not said whether Altman was home at the time,
prosecutors said.
Jenkins said the state charges carry penalties ranging from 19 years
to life in prison.
On Monday morning, FBI agents went to Moreno-Gama’s home in a
Houston suburb where they spent several hours before leaving. He has
also been charged by federal prosecutors with possession of an
unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means
of explosives. Those charges carry respective penalties of up to 10
years and 20 years in prison.
“We will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together
with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,”
U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said.
The document in which Moreno-Gama discussed his opposition to AI
also made threats against Altman and executives at other AI
companies, officials said.
“If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes,
then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my
message,” Moreno-Gama wrote, according to authorities.
Advocacy groups that have issued grave warnings about AI’s risks to
society condemned the violence.
Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute,
said in a written statement Friday that “violence and intimidation
of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of
AI.”
Another group, PauseAI, said in a statement that the suspect had no
role in the group but joined its forum on the social media platform
Discord about two years ago and posted about 34 messages there, none
containing explicit calls to violence but one that was flagged as
“ambiguous.”
Discord said Monday that it has banned Moreno-Gama for “off-platform
behavior.”
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