The individual identified as the perpetrator behind the deaths of two Brown University students and an MIT professor had created videos detailing his premeditation of the assault over a span of six academic terms, as per details disclosed by the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday.
Claudio Neves Valente, aged 48, a former student at Brown and a citizen of Portugal, was discovered deceased in a storage facility in New Hampshire after he fatally shot two students and injured nine others in an engineering building on December 13. Additionally, he later took the life of MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, a suburb of Boston, two days following the initial incident.
Officials from the Justice Department mentioned that a search of the storage facility where Neves Valente was found uncovered an electronic device containing a series of brief videos made by him post the shootings.
In the video recordings, the shooter confesses in Portuguese to meticulously planning the shooting at Brown University for an extended period. However, he did not cite a motive for targeting Brown or the MIT professor, with whom he had studied in Portugal many years ago.
He expressed no remorse, stating that he aimed to depart on his own terms and highlighted his displeasure regarding sustaining an eye injury during the shootings.
Neves Valente, who authorities confirmed died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, emphasized his intention to dictate the terms of his exit to avoid enduring the most severe repercussions.
The shooter revealed that he leased the storage space, where his body was discovered, approximately three years prior.
Furthermore, Neves Valente referenced an encounter with a witness at Brown University, which ultimately led to his identification days later.
The individual had multiple interactions with Neves Valente before the attack, and upon recognizing images of the gunman, the witness alerted the FBI to investigate a potentially rented gray Nissan vehicle. Prior to this, authorities had not linked any vehicle to the shooting.
Neves Valente acknowledged on the recording that the witness had noted his license plate and that law enforcement questioned him about the shooting.
He expressed a neutral stance towards the United States, where he initially arrived around 25 years ago to pursue physics studies at Brown’s graduate program before departing in the spring of 2001. Neves Valente had attended Brown on a student visa and later obtained permanent residency in September 2017, with his last known residence in Miami.
He stated his indifference towards various places he had resided, including Portugal, emphasizing his prolonged detachment from caring about his surroundings.