Ten minutes after allegedly smashing up 17 vehicles in a Missouri State University parking lot, a student opened ChatGPT and started talking. That conversation, according to police records, became one of the more consequential things on his phone.
What Happened
The case follows a chain of events that began in the early hours of August 2025 and ended in a felony guilty plea.
Police records say the exchange began at approximately 3:47 a.m. in August 2025, shortly after the alleged vandalism ended. The student, Ryan Schaefer, reportedly described damaging the vehicles, including broken windshields, and asked whether he could face jail time and whether investigators could identify him.
Officers later located the conversation after Schaefer consented to a search of his phone, according to reports…