Key Takeaways:
- Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown University student, showed no remorse for killing two students and wounding nine others in a mass shooting at Brown University.
- Neves Valente also murdered an MIT professor two days later and was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in New Hampshire.
- In a video transcript released by the Justice Department, Neves Valente stated that he did not regret his actions and would not apologize for them.
- Neves Valente did not provide a clear motive for the attacks, but mentioned that he "needed a catalyst" and made fun of his student victims.
- He also expressed his lack of hatred or love for America and stated that coming to the US was a mistake.
Introduction to the Incident
The transcript of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente’s video recordings, released by the Justice Department on January 6, 2026, provides a glimpse into the mind of the individual responsible for the tragic mass shooting at Brown University and the murder of an MIT professor. Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown University student, showed no remorse for his actions, which resulted in the deaths of two students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, and wounded nine others. In the transcript, Neves Valente stated that he did not regret his actions and would not apologize for them, saying "I am not going to apologize, because during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me."
The Attack and Its Aftermath
On December 13, Neves Valente opened fire on students who were preparing for final exams at Brown University, killing two and wounding nine others. Two days later, he fatally shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts. Neves Valente was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in New Hampshire on December 18, just five days after the killing spree began. The transcript of his video recordings, which were found in the storage unit, provides insight into his thoughts and feelings leading up to his death.
Neves Valente’s Motive and Thoughts
In the transcript, Neves Valente does not provide a clear motive for the attacks, but mentions that he "needed a catalyst" for his actions. He also makes fun of his student victims, saying that they could have easily run out of a nearby exit. Additionally, Neves Valente expresses his lack of hatred or love for America, stating that coming to the US was a mistake. He also mentions that he liked when President Donald Trump called him an animal, saying "I am an animal and he is also." Neves Valente’s ramblings are often incoherent and do not provide a clear understanding of his motivations or thought process.
Neves Valente’s Background
Neves Valente was a student at Brown University in a PhD program from 2000 to 2001 and took a leave of absence after that. He withdrew from the school in 2003. He entered the United States from Portugal legally on a diversity visa lottery program (DV1) visa and was granted a green card after entering through the program in 2017. According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves Valente took only physics classes while a student and would have spent time in the Barus and Holley building, where the shooting took place.
The Investigation and Reaction
The investigation into the attacks is ongoing, and authorities are still trying to determine the motives behind Neves Valente’s actions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Neves Valente should never have been allowed in the country, and that the incident highlights the need for stricter immigration laws. The incident has also raised questions about gun control and mental health, with many calling for increased measures to prevent similar attacks in the future. As the community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the tragedy, the transcript of Neves Valente’s video recordings provides a chilling glimpse into the mind of the individual responsible.
