A former schoolmate of the alleged shooter involved in the tragic Brown University incident and the later murder of an MIT professor recalls the suspect as “socially awkward” and “angry” during their college years.

Scott Watson, now a physics professor at Syracuse University, shared with Fox News that he attended Brown University alongside Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente in 2000. Watson described himself as Neves-Valente’s “only friend” during that period, noting the Portuguese national’s frequent complaints about life in the U.S. and his experience at the university.

“While at Brown, I was effectively his only friend. Both of us were socially awkward, which likely led to our connection,” Watson explained. “I first approached him during orientation when he was sitting alone. Although he was initially terse, we eventually broke the ice and became close friends.”

Neves-Valente, now 48, was recently named as the suspect in the December 13 mass shooting at Brown University, which resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to nine others.

According to Watson, Neves-Valente often voiced his dissatisfaction with his coursework, claiming that the classes at Brown were not challenging enough for him.

“He often complained about moving to the United States and about the university,” Watson said. “He would say the classes were too easy — honestly, for him, they were. He already knew most of the material and was genuinely impressive.”

Even campus food was a source of irritation for Neves-Valente, according to Watson.

“I remember him getting irritated about the quality of food on campus, especially the lack of high-quality fish,” he said.

Watson also recalled Neves-Valente’s troubling behavior toward another student.

“We had another classmate that Claudio would insult and call him his slave. I had to break up a fight once,” Watson said. 

A split image shows Claudio Neves-Valente, identified as the suspect in the Brown University shooting, wearing the same jacket as a man identified earlier as a person of interest in the case. (Providence Police Department)

However, Watson said there were also moments when Neves-Valente seemed more calm.

“I have genuinely fond memories of dinners with him at a local Portuguese restaurant near campus,” he said. “There is a community there. He could be kind and gentle, though he often became frustrated — sometimes angry — about courses, professors and living conditions.”

The two last spoke when Neves-Valente decided to leave Brown, Watson said.

“The last time I spoke with him, we walked to his apartment and I tried to convince him not to leave. He refused, and that was the last time I heard from him,” he said. “He told me he was returning to Portugal, though it now appears that may not have been the case.”

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island, during the investigation of a shooting. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Neves-Valente, 48, was recently identified as the suspect in the Dec. 13 Brown University mass shooting, which left two students dead and nine others injured.

Authorities later confirmed he was also the suspect in the Dec. 15 fatal shooting of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves-Valente was a Portuguese national and former Brown student who studied physics from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001 before withdrawing from the program in 2003. He had no recent affiliation with the university at the time of the shooting on campus.

“I am shocked this has occurred,” Watson said.