On Friday, investigators intensified their search for a motive behind the tragic murders of two Brown University students and a physics professor in Massachusetts. These separate yet interconnected attacks are believed to have been carried out by the prime suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Valente's body was discovered in a New Hampshire storage facility late Thursday night, concluding a five-day manhunt.
Authorities allege that Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and a former brief student at Brown University, was responsible for the mass shooting that occurred last Saturday at the engineering building on the Providence, Rhode Island campus. This horrific incident claimed the lives of two students, Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, and left nine others injured. Following the campus shooting, Neves Valente traveled approximately 50 miles to Brookline, Massachusetts, where he fatally shot MIT professor Nuno FG Loureiro in his home on Monday night.
At a recent press conference, FBI representatives revealed that a key tipster, identified only as "John," played a crucial role in leading investigators to Neves Valente. Peter Neronha, the attorney general of Rhode Island, expressed that there remain “a lot of unknowns” about the motive behind these attacks. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students, and why this classroom?” he questioned, referring to the Barus & Holley engineering building where the tragic events unfolded.
Brown University's president, Christina Paxson, clarified that Neves Valente had “no current affiliation with the university.” He was enrolled as a graduate student studying physics from fall 2000 to spring 2001 but left without completing his studies. Notably, both Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s top engineering university, between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro, who headed MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, graduated from the prestigious program in 2000, while Neves Valente was terminated from his position at the university the same year.
Further insights into their connection emerged from an affidavit provided by special agent Bryce Ferrara of the FBI’s Boston field office. This five-page document revealed that Neves Valente, who became a US permanent resident in 2017, rented a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida tags on December 1. Surveillance footage captured images of the vehicle near the Brown campus on several occasions between December 1 and 12, and it was spotted again on the day of Loureiro’s murder with a false Maine license plate.
Tom Greco, special agent in charge for the Boston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), described Neves Valente as “a highly dangerous individual capable of extreme violence.” His body was found in a Salem, New Hampshire storage unit, where authorities discovered a bag and two firearms, along with evidence that matched the crime scene in Providence.
The investigation faced initial challenges, partly due to a premature assertion by FBI director Kash Patel that the Brown case had been resolved after the detention of a person of interest, who was later cleared. This misstep led to criticism and calls for Patel's resignation. Consequently, law enforcement officials sought public assistance, which proved beneficial.
Police in Providence reported several “strange encounters” between Neves Valente and the tipster named John before the Brown shooting. According to authorities, John recognized Neves Valente from an FBI photograph and posted a crucial tip on Reddit, urging detectives to investigate a gray Nissan with Florida plates. This lead was pivotal in connecting the vehicle to the shootings.
John’s encounters included meeting Neves Valente in the bathroom of Brown’s engineering building just hours before the attack. He noted that Neves Valente's clothing was inappropriate for the weather, which raised suspicions. A "game of cat and mouse" ensued as the two crossed paths multiple times, with Neves Valente reportedly fleeing from John. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged John’s significant contribution, stating, “Everybody in Providence owes this individual a debt of gratitude.”
In a related development, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, announced the suspension of the green card lottery program which had allowed Neves Valente, who entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2000, to become a permanent resident after 16 years.
The investigation continues to unfold, as authorities work to piece together the events that led to these tragic incidents, while the community mourns the loss of the victims and seeks answers.