RI - Mass Shooting at Brown University - Providence 13 Dec 2025

[Charlot123]

“His mother said this morning that she had always worried that the next time she would hear about him, he would be dead,” Mirita Domingues, a relative, told the Times.
...
Neves Valente stopped communicating with his well-to-do family in Portugal shortly after his stint at Brown, kin told the New York Times.
...
The murderer grew up outside of Lisbon and was a happy-go-lucky kid, Domingues said.

Here’s why Claudio Neves Valente may have targeted Brown U., MIT professor

“I had to break up a fight once” between” the killer and another Brown student, a former pal said.

nypost.com

What happened between him and his parents?

You want a random guess? The only child, “a genius”, the father with similar traits + an anxious, overprotective mother. CV probably wanted to shake them off, to date and have friends and when it didn’t work well socially in the university, he blamed his parents, whom else?

 

[indicolite22]

You want a random guess? The only child, “a genius”, the father with similar traits + an anxious, overprotective mother. CV probably wanted to shake them off, to date and have friends and when it didn’t work well socially in the university, he blamed his parents, whom else?

So far nobody gave any indication that he had (or tried to have) a social life. He kept to himself in school and at work. To cut off his parents seems extreme. Were they controlling?

 

[indicolite22]

I don’t believe that “brilliance” (or getting grades better that Nuno) means that much, if anything. You all know Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”, and maybe CV lacked in work ethics.

It fits that CV was the only child. When he went to the university, he probably cut off tight umbilical cord instead of stretching it.

Also, I think that in 2001, he made the right decision to switch over to IT.

Academic career means, not much money, competition, a lot of hard work and dependence on grants. Nuno Loureiro was lucky, with his work, he got MIT professorship, fame and publications. But it is always a risk, and financially, Claudio’s decision in 2001 could have looked sounder. I don’t know what was happening to CV in 2010es, but the real problem could have started with winning that green card lottery. The timing was wrong. The green card kept him in the US for over 6 months of a year, and there were no remote works yet in 2017. So he likely had to quit his job in Portugal. I assume that he planned to get into IT sector in the US, but he was in his 40-es, from another country, and not a team player. But the main issue, the downturn in technical sector, had essentially started with COVID, everywhere. I’d guess that he ended up in the same boat with some programmers but in a new country. And, no connections, no friends, no social network.

So it could have been all to his story. He could have made some nest egg, but “always on the phone”, might indicate some form of ludomania or other compulsive behavior draining out one’s money.

He lived here for several years and did not commit homicidal acts. So, either inability to find a good job and hopelessness or perhaps, a new illness or all of it. And then it goes back to “where did it go wrong?” And he starts finding blame with others.

He was a child prodigy who acquired knowledge earlier and/or faster than his colleagues, which showed in his grades. As a result, he probably felt entitled to be given certain opportunities (e.g. a TA job or a research position). Obviously he wasn't happy ending up in IT, otherwise he wouldn't have targeted NL. IMO he was envious of his level of success and recognition. NL also had a family. CV somehow thought that if there wasn't for NL, his life would have turned out better.

 

[indicolite22]

Suspect in Brown and M.I.T. Killings Was a Brilliant Student. Then He Vanished.​

The link above is from the New York Times, so paywalled, of course, but this brief excerpt from the article stood out:

..."in the post, Mr. Neves Valente wrote in Portuguese: 'The greatest liar is the one who is able to lie to themselves. These exist everywhere, but they sometimes proliferate in the most unexpected places.'"

Self-fulfilling prophecy, it seems. JMO.

I think that was his parting shot at Brown. He addressed his classmates and also left a contact email address. Who did he accuse of lying to themselves?

 

[justtrish]

Here's another article that states that CV died on Tuesday. Only one storage unit is mentioned, not two. Apparently, CV visited a shooting range in NH - possibly for shooting practice.

AG: Suspect in Brown, MIT shootings may have been dead for days

Law enforcement officials identified the gunman in the mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor as a 48-year-old Portuguese national who was a student at the Providence school.

www.wcvb.com

I wonder if he rented one unit, but he was found deceased in another one. I know I read an article stating that somewhere. He wasn't' in his unit so they had to search the facility, and they found him in an unoccupied unit. Maybe that is where the evidence found in 2 units came from and he actually only rented one, but he was found in another??

 

[LAborn]

I think that was his parting shot at Brown. He addressed his classmates and also left a contact email address. Who did he accuse of lying to themselves?

If I had to guess all the people and institutions that present themselves as elite or above it all. CV was the top of his class, he was a stand out, but he saw NL go on to achieve the most coveted positions (NL was bright, but not as bright as CV). CV was vocal about his experience at Brown--that the classes were easy and he already knew the information. But Brown is ranked top Ivy league in the US, but he found it easy. He perceived these as "lies" probably. To be clear, these views make zero sense for what he ended up doing. No justification. Irrational.
JMO

 

[99cats]

I don’t believe that “brilliance” (or getting grades better that Nuno) means that much, if anything. You all know Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”, and maybe CV lacked in work ethics.

It fits that CV was the only child. When he went to the university, he probably cut off tight umbilical cord instead of stretching it.

Also, I think that in 2001, he made the right decision to switch over to IT.

Academic career means, not much money, competition, a lot of hard work and dependence on grants. Nuno Loureiro was lucky, with his work, he got MIT professorship, fame and publications. But it is always a risk, and financially, Claudio’s decision in 2001 could have looked sounder. I don’t know what was happening to CV in 2010es, but the real problem could have started with winning that green card lottery. The timing was wrong. The green card kept him in the US for over 6 months of a year, and there were no remote works yet in 2017. So he likely had to quit his job in Portugal. I assume that he planned to get into IT sector in the US, but he was in his 40-es, from another country, and not a team player. But the main issue, the downturn in technical sector, had essentially started with COVID, everywhere. I’d guess that he ended up in the same boat with some programmers but in a new country. And, no connections, no friends, no social network.

So it could have been all to his story. He could have made some nest egg, but “always on the phone”, might indicate some form of ludomania or other compulsive behavior draining out one’s money.

He lived here for several years and did not commit homicidal acts. So, either inability to find a good job and hopelessness or perhaps, a new illness or all of it. And then it goes back to “where did it go wrong?” And he starts finding blame with others.

Do we know for certain he wasn't employed while in the US? Remote work was definitely around in 2017, especially in IT, although not to the extent we see it today.

I wonder if what set him off was Prof. Loureiro becoming the chair of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024 or the
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers this year. CV may have found out about it after the fact, or - horrifyingly - he might have spent almost a year or even more planning the attack.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Automatic translation:

After leaving Brown University (USA), where he was unable to complete his postgraduate studies, Cláudio Valente returned to Portugal and worked in two different periods at the website Sapo.pt.
...
His colleagues describe him as a genius in the field of computer science as well. They recall that he maintained a good working relationship and was introspective.

Cláudio Valente era aluno exemplar em Torres Novas - Portugal - Correio da Manhã

É suspeito da morte de dois estudantes da Universidade Brown, EUA, e também do homicídio do professor do MIT, Nuno Loureiro.

www.cmjornal.pt

From a different article on the same website -

"He cut ties with his parents, who remained in Torres Novas, dropped out of university, and between 2006 and 2013 worked for the Sapo platform."

So that takes the timeline to 2013. We know he went back to Portugal and had a series of decent IT/computer programming jobs up to 2013. After that, things are still a blank.

Génio da física mata ex-colega Nuno Loureiro por ódio

Cláudio e Nuno estudaram no Técnico. Ambos emigraram para a América. Nuno teve sucesso. Cláudio, não.

www.cmjornal.pt

 

[Lebowski]

I don’t believe that “brilliance” (or getting grades better that Nuno) means that much, if anything. You all know Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”, and maybe CV lacked in work ethics.

It fits that CV was the only child. When he went to the university, he probably cut off tight umbilical cord instead of stretching it.

...

bbm

yeah, here's one more anecdote from my university physics experience. a prof told us the department had done a study on their former phd graduates and looked at how they ended up performing later in their careers as a function of several things, including the number of attempts they needed to pass the qualifier. (for those who don't know, the qualifier is a very, very, VERY hard exam you have to pass as part of a phd program. at my old department at least, you are allowed 3 chances.) their students who passed on the first attempt went on to do OK, but were generally not standouts. it's the ones who needed two attempts that tended to be the real stars in their field. the interpretation of the results was that the first-timers were so smart they had never been forced to work hard, and therefore never learned to. the difference in habits went on to pay off for the second-timers. all on average of course, not hard rules.

Also, I think that in 2001, he made the right decision to switch over to IT.

Academic career means, not much money, competition, a lot of hard work and dependence on grants. Nuno Loureiro was lucky, with his work, he got MIT professorship, fame and publications. But it is always a risk, and financially, Claudio’s decision in 2001 could have looked sounder. I don’t know what was happening to CV in 2010es, but the real problem could have started with winning that green card lottery. The timing was wrong. The green card kept him in the US for over 6 months of a year, and there were no remote works yet in 2017. So he likely had to quit his job in Portugal. I assume that he planned to get into IT sector in the US, but he was in his 40-es, from another country, and not a team player. But the main issue, the downturn in technical sector, had essentially started with COVID, everywhere. I’d guess that he ended up in the same boat with some programmers but in a new country. And, no connections, no friends, no social network.

So it could have been all to his story. He could have made some nest egg, but “always on the phone”, might indicate some form of ludomania or other compulsive behavior draining out one’s money.

He lived here for several years and did not commit homicidal acts. So, either inability to find a good job and hopelessness or perhaps, a new illness or all of it. And then it goes back to “where did it go wrong?” And he starts finding blame with others.

tech industries have taken a hit after interest rates went up starting ~2022. investment capital is not as loose as before, and a lot of companies have had layoffs or at least stopped hiring. that might be playing a role here.

 

[wibbleflea]

We know he went back to Portugal and had a series of decent IT/computer programming jobs up to 2013. After that, things are still a blank.

I’m guessing we’ll get some new information over the next few days and weeks and then longer, in-depth pieces and perhaps books that attempt to tell the whole story. Wouldn’t be surprised to see cryptocurrency make an appearance in CV’s career somewhere.

Still struggling to work out how it came to this madness. Alcohol or drug dependency?

 

[Sundog]

“His mother said this morning that she had always worried that the next time she would hear about him, he would be dead,” Mirita Domingues, a relative, told the Times.
...
Neves Valente stopped communicating with his well-to-do family in Portugal shortly after his stint at Brown, kin told the New York Times.
...
The murderer grew up outside of Lisbon and was a happy-go-lucky kid, Domingues said.

Here’s why Claudio Neves Valente may have targeted Brown U., MIT professor

“I had to break up a fight once” between” the killer and another Brown student, a former pal said.

nypost.com

What happened between him and his parents?

How sad for his parents, not to see their son for two decades and then to hear of his murderous rampage and death. And I read somewhere in an article on this forum that he was their only child.

 

[Sundog]

Still struggling to work out how it came to this madness. Alcohol or drug dependency?

<Snipped for focus>

At this point, my own thinking is that CV was likely depressed and fatigued with how his life turned out, even though he was largely responsible for it. Looking ahead, I don't think he saw things changing much for the better. I think he decided to end his life, and that he had no intention of returning to Florida to the life and that he was on a suicide mission.

IIn some ways, his actions resemble those of individuals who commit murder-suicide. Although murder-suicide usually involves two people in a close relationship or a family unit, in his case it involved Brown University and Professor Loureiro. He had no close relationships. But a former classmate of CV from Brown said that:

the building where Neves Valente carried out his rampage, Barus and Holley, was akin to a “second home” for physics graduate students.

JMO

Here’s why Claudio Neves Valente may have targeted Brown U., MIT professor

“I had to break up a fight once” between” the killer and another Brown student, a former pal said.

nypost.com

BBM

 

[Sundog]

Do we know for certain he wasn't employed while in the US? Remote work was definitely around in 2017, especially in IT, although not to the extent we see it today.

I wonder if what set him off was Prof. Loureiro becoming the chair of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024 or the
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers this year. CV may have found out about it after the fact, or - horrifyingly - he might have spent almost a year or even more planning the attack.

Agree, there might have been something like this that triggered his decision as his life trajectory had been pretty much a downward spiral based on his potential and experience as a young man, (or at least was not tolerable for him in some way).

It appears that he wasn't able to find a way to create a meaningful life for himself during his middle age years.

 

[Lebowski]

He was a child prodigy who acquired knowledge earlier and/or faster than his colleagues, which showed in his grades. As a result, he probably felt entitled to be given certain opportunities (e.g. a TA job or a research position). Obviously he wasn't happy ending up in IT, otherwise he wouldn't have targeted NL. IMO he was envious of his level of success and recognition. NL also had a family. CV somehow thought that if there wasn't for NL, his life would have turned out better.

yeah, learning about this IT work, it doesn't seem like he was that unsuccessful. may have even made better money than NL. not that money = happiness, but lack of money is the source of a lot of unhappiness.

i think it was about the recognition for CV. socially awkward guy, who nonetheless wanted to be liked and respected like most people. discovered at an early age that showing how smart he was seemed to get him that. ...to some degree. so he made it his whole personality. that's what all the "look at me!" behavior in his classes was about. expected raw talent to carry him professionally, all the way to greatness, and having friends and a wife and kids would somehow follow. probably exacerbated by some immaturity in his thinking due to being the only child of a well-to-do family. ...... though of course it was maladaptive. "look how smart i am!" doesn't win your friends. and raw talent, even at this level, usually isn't enough to carry someone.

in NL, he saw undue recognition, because "come on. i beat that guy by a few points on every test. and i never once saw him needlessly embarrass a classmate over how to do an integral. all he did was study and talk to people like a normie. such BS! and now people are calling him a star in fusion research?? he's a fraud!"

 

[Dotta]

Brilliant theoretical physicist to IT bod at a telecoms company is a massive comedown. Did he ever really come to terms with this fall from grace, which was entirely of his own making by his attitude.

I'm not sure about conscious "attitude".

IMO
this person suffered from serious MH issues/severe personality disorder.
His high IQ could be a "part of the package".

Everything (reported) screams red flags to me:
- socially awkward
- conflictive character
- probable narcissism
- superiority complex
- lack of friends
- severing contacts with parents for decades
- being unable to properly take care of himself
(obesity, inadequate clothing for weather conditions, wearing the same clothes for a long time without changing)
- weird behaviour
- obsessive
And, of course, murdering innocent people.

Mad genius???

JMO

PS
I've caught up with the thread at last!
Phew!

 

[katydid23]

Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.

Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say

Officials say a man who is suspected in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University and in the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility.

apnews.com

…

He was let go from his job at lisbon university,

He was let go of his TA job at University, I believe. Shades of Bryan Kohberger?

He seems to have similar traits. Arrogant, feels like he's smartest in the room, bullies others? Kills when angry?

 

[wibbleflea]

Claudio Neves-Valente unleashed bloody hell in classroom he used as a student, Brown university says

The Brown University classroom targeted by the deranged former student Claudio Neves-Valente was regularly used for physics classes, but did not have a last minute change of venue for the final exa…

nypost.com

Nothing much new but it does have Brown pushing back on the claim that a physics class had been scheduled in that room and then moved. A regular physics class was held in that room earlier in the term, though.

 

[ilgirl]

Since we really don't have any background on him over the last several years, is it possible he killed or assaulted someone before but wasn't caught? He seemed to be very good at planning his attacks and being able to get away - at least until John broke open the case. I'm guessing that investigators have their work cut out for them with this guy.

 

[katydid23]

I still can't believe they didn't pay out on a technicality for Luigi when was so unbelievably high profile.

The kind of people who tend to have information on criminals are often not exactly the sort who have high trust in authorities to begin with.

Who is going to risk turning in (often dangerous/ related/ connected) suspects or coming forward with information when some buIIshiit fine-print lets them stiff you out the payout?

Even if they didn't have to, paying that McDonald's worked a 100k or whatever it was is peanuts. When compared to how much damage they did to the public trust, (and therefore effectiveness) of cash rewards when they bilked her on such a petty technicality.

If the McD worker had called the tippling instead of 911 it would have been incredibly irresponsible, imo. The tippling is not ready to immediately send squad cars and arrest the suspect.

 

[ilgirl]

He was let go of his TA job at University, I believe. Shades of Bryan Kohberger?

He seems to have similar traits. Arrogant, feels like he's smartest in the room, bullies others? Kills when angry?

I can definitely see the correlation. Kohberger spent a ton of time planning and knew how to clean up and get away without being caught, at least for several weeks. If he hadn't been caught, though, I tend to think he could have become a serial killer of young adult women. With CV, it seems more likely that he might have done more targeted killings or maybe another mass shooting. Both criminals are scary.