BOSTON — A man identified as the shooter in a series of violent attacks that claimed the lives of two Brown University students and an MIT professor had been plotting the events for months, leaving behind recorded confessions that revealed his intentions. Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former student at Brown and a Portuguese national, was discovered deceased in a New Hampshire storage facility shortly after the incidents took place on December 13.
Authorities reported that Valente shot two students and injured nine others in the engineering building at Brown before taking the life of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in his Brookline home just days later. A search of the storage facility on December 18 led FBI agents to recovery of electronic devices holding a series of short videos made by Valente in the aftermath of the shootings.
In these recordings, which were conducted in Portuguese, Valente admits to contemplating the attack for an extended period, specifically detailing that he spent several semesters planning the shooting at Brown University. Although he confided his thoughts on the act, he refrained from explaining the motivation behind targeting the school or the professor, who he once shared educational ties with in Portugal.
He expressed in the videos that he felt no remorse for his actions, claiming that he had nothing to apologize for, referencing a lack of genuine apologies he received throughout his life. Valente articulated that his aim was to exit life on his own terms, stating, “I’m not going to apologize because during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me.”
The shooter also remarked on what he perceived as the inadequacies of his execution, acknowledging his approach as “a little incompetent” but still expressing satisfaction that he had acted at all, claiming, “At least something was done.” He described having the storage unit where he ultimately died for nearly three years and alluded to an encounter with a witness that led to his identification.
Police investigations revealed that law enforcement had not connected Valente to the shooting until a witness who had prior encounters with him posted details on social media. Concerned Reddit users urged the witness to inform the FBI, ultimately leading to Valente being identified.
Valente reported disbelief at how long it took authorities to track him down, asserting, “I honestly never thought it would take them so long to find me.” With a history of living in the United States since arriving roughly 25 years ago for studies at Brown, he had gone through a transition to permanent resident status in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.
Reflecting on his time in the U.S., Valente conveyed a sense of detachment, stating, “I’ve been here without caring for a very long time now.”