DOJ: Shooter who killed Brown students and MIT professor planned attack for months, left behind video confessions
Share and Follow


Videos have surfaced in which Neves Valente admits to orchestrating the Brown shooting, according to the FBI.

The individual responsible for the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of two Brown University students and an MIT professor had plotted the attack for years, as revealed in newly uncovered videos. These recordings, disclosed on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice, show him confessing to the murders but failing to provide any clear motive.

Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown student and Portuguese citizen, was discovered deceased in a New Hampshire storage unit. This followed his attack on December 13, where he fatally shot two students and injured nine others in an engineering building. Subsequently, he took the life of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at Loureiro’s home in Brookline, a Boston suburb, two days later.

According to Justice Department officials, during the investigation of the storage unit where Neves Valente’s body was found on December 18, the FBI seized an electronic device. This device contained numerous brief videos filmed by Neves Valente after the shootings had occurred.

In these videos, recorded in Portuguese, Neves Valente confessed to having meticulously planned the events over at least six semesters. However, he did not disclose any reasons for choosing Brown University or the professor, who was a fellow student with Neves Valente in Portugal many years ago, as his targets.

Videos don’t provide motive, but do address misinformation

In an English-translated transcript provided by the Justice Department, Neves Valente said he felt he had nothing to apologize for. He also complained in the videos about injuring his eye in the shootings.

“I’m not going to apologize because during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me,” he said.

He explicitly addressed baseless claims spread by conservative influencer Laura Loomer after the attack that the Brown shooter had spoken in Arabic, saying something like “Allahu akbar” upon entering the auditorium.

Neves Valente said he did not speak a word of Arabic or intend to make any kind of statement. If he said anything, he “must have made an exclamation like, ‘Oh no!’ or something like that,” to express disappointment that the auditorium appeared to be empty when he entered, he said. Students were hiding under desks, but Neves Valente thought they’d already escaped through an emergency exit.

“I never wanted to do it in an auditorium. I wanted to do it in a regular room,” he said. “I had plenty of opportunities. Especially this semester, I had plenty of opportunities, but I always chickened out.”

Students were shot at random

He insisted he was not mentally ill. He said he did not want to be famous and the video was not a manifesto.

Neves Valente said his “only objective was to leave more or less” on his “own terms” and to ensure he “wouldn’t be the one who ended up suffering the most from all this.”

“No, that cannot happen. So if you don’t like it, tough luck,” he said. Neves Valente called his execution of the murders “a little incompetent.”

“But at least something was done,” he said.

Neves Valente wounded nine people and killed two students: Sophomore Ella Cook, 19, and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov.

Two days later, authorities say, Neves Valente fatally shot Loureiro. Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, that country’s premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.

In the recording he said he had the storage space where his body was found for about three years.

Brown University said in a statement Tuesday that “the gravity of this tragedy continues to weigh heavily on the full Brown University community” and that they continue to mourn the deaths of the two students and pray for the full recovery of those who were injured.

Shooter describes witness encounter

Neves Valente mentioned his confrontation with a witness at Brown that ultimately led to his identification days later.

According to police, the witness had several encounters with Neves Valente before the attack. As police posted images of the person of interest, the witness began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognized the person and theorized that police should look into “possibly a rental” gray Nissan. Reddit users urged him to inform the FBI, and the witness said he did.

Until that point, the police affidavit says, officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter.

“I actually was confronted,” Neves Valente said about the Brown shooting, adding that the witness saw his license plate.

“I honestly never thought it would take them so long to find me,” he said.

He said he had no hatred or love for the United States, where he first arrived around 25 years ago to study physics at Brown’s graduate program before leaving in the spring of 2001.

Neves Valente studied at Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence in September 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

“It’s the same thing with Portugal, and most of the places where I have been,” he said, adding later that “I’ve been here without caring for a very long time now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Swiss nightclub owner allegedly fled with cash, destroyed evidence during deadly inferno

Swiss Nightclub Scandal: Owner Accused of Fleeing with Cash and Tampering Evidence Amid Fatal Fire

In a tragic turn of events at a Swiss resort bar, 40…
Rob and Michele Singer Reiner deaths: Nick Reiner's attorney Alan Jackson withdraws from double murder case during arraignment

Attorney Steps Down from High-Profile Murder Case Involving Nick Reiner During Arraignment

In Los Angeles, Nick Reiner appeared in court on Wednesday for charges…
Chicago teacher disappears, husband pleads for help finding her

Chicago Educator Reported Missing as Husband Urgently Seeks Public Assistance

The unexpected disappearance of a Chicago special education teacher has left her…
Florida boater accused of killing teen in crash avoids jail time with plea deal

Controversial Plea Deal: Florida Boater Dodges Jail Time in Fatal Teen Crash Case

A man has admitted guilt in a tragic boating accident that claimed…
Chiefs star Rashee Rice's ex makes domestic violence allegations

Rashee Rice Accused of Domestic Violence by Former Partner: Details Emerge

The mother of Rashee Rice’s two children has come forward with disturbing…
Iranian military leader threatens preemptive attack after Trump comments

Iranian Military Chief Warns of Preemptive Strikes Following Trump’s Provocative Remarks

The head of Iran’s military has issued a warning of potential preemptive…
Familiar groups mobilize immediately after ICE shooting of Minnesota protester

Activist Groups Rally in Response to ICE Incident Involving Minnesota Protester

In the wake of a tragic incident in Minnesota, where a protester…
Intermittent fasting diets may not deliver the health benefits many expect

Unveiling the Truth: Why Intermittent Fasting May Not Be the Health Miracle You Hoped For

Time-restricted eating has become increasingly trendy, but a new study reveals that…