Authorities have confirmed the death of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the 48-year-old suspect linked to the deadly mass shooting at Brown University and the murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor.
Valente, a Portuguese national and former Brown University graduate student, was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on the evening of December 18, 2025. This discovery brings a tragic close to the multi-state investigation into the violent incidents that claimed three lives and injured nine others.
Valente, who resided in Miami, Florida, and held U.S. permanent resident status since 2017, attended Brown University's PhD program in physics from 2000 to 2001 before withdrawing in 2003. He also shared an academic history with MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, having studied together in Portugal from 1995 to 2000. Investigators believe Valente knew Loureiro personally.
The Brown University shooting occurred on December 13, 2025, in the Barus and Holley engineering building during final exams. Valente opened fire with a 9mm handgun, killing two students—Ella Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Virginia originally from Uzbekistan—and wounding nine others. Surveillance footage showed Valente casing the area earlier that day.
Two days later, on December 15, 2025, Valente fatally shot Professor Loureiro, 47, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Security footage placed Valente near the scene, confirming the connection between the crimes.
Valente evaded capture by obscuring his cell phone, switching rental car license plates, and avoiding traceable financial transactions. He was identified through rental vehicle records, financial traces, tipster information, and video evidence showing his car in the region since December 1. A satchel and two firearms were recovered at the scene of his death.
"We are 100% confident that this is our target, and that this case is closed from the perspective of pursuing people involved," said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. "However the motive why now, why Brown, why these victims—remains under investigation."
U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley added, "Investigators identified the vehicle he rented in Boston and drove to Rhode Island. Our thoughts are with the victims' families during this difficult time."
Brown University President Christina Paxson stated, "The suspect had no current affiliation with the university, but we are committed to supporting our community as we heal."