BOSTON — A chilling connection has been confirmed in a case that gripped New England this week: federal investigators have determined that 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former Brown University graduate student, was responsible for a shooting at Brown and the murder of an MIT professor just two days later, raising alarms that he may have been targeting a list of victims.
Valente was found dead Thursday in a New Hampshire storage unit from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley. Authorities had been urgently searching for him since the killings.
“We had no idea if he had a hit list and these were just the first two stops on his tour,” Foley told ABC News on Friday. “We had no idea if he was going to act again in New England or try to leave New England.”
Highly Premeditated, Well-Equipped
Valente’s body was discovered with an arsenal that indicated extensive preparation. At the scene, authorities recovered two 9mm Glock firearms equipped with green laser sights, five magazines containing nearly 200 rounds of ammunition, and nearly $900 in cash. Additional ammunition and body armor were found in his car.
“This was highly premeditated and he was definitely equipped for the mission that he sought out to do,” Foley stated.
Investigators also found three USB thumb drives in the vehicle, which are being analyzed for potential clues about a motive or other intended targets. Authorities confirmed that Valente had switched his car’s license plates at least once during the manhunt.
Suspect and Victim Shared Academic Background
The investigation has revealed a complex academic link between the suspect and his victims. Valente was a former Brown University graduate student, having enrolled in the physics Ph.D. program in 2000 for less than a year before withdrawing.
The MIT victim, Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, was also a Portuguese national. Investigators discovered that both Valente and Loureiro had attended the same undergraduate physics engineering program at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal.
While Foley confirmed that investigators believe both Brown University and Professor Loureiro were intentional targets, a clear motive remains elusive. “I don’t know that even if he had explained why, that that would be an answer that is satisfactory to anyone,” Foley said. “He was evil.”
The manhunt had prompted a significant law enforcement response, with federal agents deployed across four states and stationed at major airports. An autopsy is being conducted to determine the time of Valente’s death, and ballistics and DNA tests are ongoing as the investigation continues.