Federal authorities in the United States have disclosed chilling details about the man responsible for the killings of two Brown University students and an MIT professor last December. The shooter, identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, meticulously planned the attacks for at least six semesters and later recorded videos where he expressed no remorse for his actions.
The Attacks and the Aftermath
The violence unfolded over two days in mid-December 2025. On 13 December, Valente opened fire inside an engineering building at Brown University in Providence. The attack resulted in the deaths of two students, Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, and left nine others wounded.
Two days later, on 15 December, Valente targeted Nuno F.G. Loureiro, an MIT professor, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Loureiro, who had attended school in Portugal with Valente decades earlier, was fatally shot.
The manhunt ended on 18 December 2025, when the US Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI, and the ATF jointly announced that Valente was found dead inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.
Chilling Videos Reveal Planning and Intent
During a federal search of the storage unit, investigators recovered an electronic device containing several short videos recorded by Valente in Portuguese after the shootings. The US Department of Justice released translated transcripts of these recordings on Tuesday.
In the videos, Valente admitted to planning the Brown University shooting for a very long time, stating he had "plenty of opportunities" to carry it out earlier but "always chickened out." He did not provide a clear motive for targeting the students or the professor.
Across more than 11 minutes of footage, Valente was unequivocal in his lack of remorse. "I don't give a damn about how you judge me or what you think of me," he said in one clip. In another, he rejected the idea of an apology: "I'm not going to apologize because during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me."
The DOJ statement summarized his demeanor, noting he "showed no remorse during the recordings." The transcripts quote Valente as saying, "To say that I was extraordinarily satisfied, no, but also I don't regret what I did."
Shooter's Bizarre Justifications and Final Reflections
Valente used the videos to address his perceived portrayal and his state of mind. He dismissed suggestions that hatred for America motivated him, calling his decision to come to the US a "mistake" but denying any strong ideological drive.
He repeatedly complained about a serious eye injury he sustained during the attack on the MIT professor, describing it as the only thing he regretted. "Honestly, my only regret is this thing in the eye," he said, laughing in the recording.
Valente also preemptively rejected any link between mental illness and his actions. "I already know that you are going to say that I am mentally ill, or some shit like that. That is all nonsense," he insisted, claiming he was sane.
As the lights in his storage unit dimmed, he offered a grim reflection: "I think the world cannot be redeemed. To sum it all up, that is it."
Federal Assessment and Ongoing Probe
The Department of Justice condemned Valente's attitude, stating he "exposed his true nature when he blamed innocent, unarmed children for their deaths at his hand and grumbled about a self-inflicted injury."
While the investigation into a precise motive continues, authorities have stated that, based on current evidence, they do not believe there is any continuing public safety threat related to these shootings. Officials have promised to provide additional updates as more information is developed and after appropriate notifications to victims' families.
