Thirty years ago, Claudio Neves Valente and Nuno F.G. Loureiro, both excelling in physics, left their native Portugal for the United States and settled on the East Coast at a renowned university campus.
However, Valente’s life trajectory took a sharp turn downward. Investigators reported that at the age of 48, he opened fire last week at Brown University in Rhode Island, resulting in the deaths of two students. He then proceeded to kill Loureiro at his residence, who was in charge of one of MIT’s largest laboratories.
Authorities have yet to provide a motive for the shooting and have not further clarified any prior relationship between the two men.
On Thursday, Valente was found dead in a rented storage locker in Salem, New Hampshire, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing an end to the manhunt that began after the shooting at Brown University last Saturday.
The shooting also left nine people injured. Officials believe that Valente shot Loureiro at a residence in a Boston suburb on Monday, two days after the Brown University shooting; the location is approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence. Autopsy results showed Valente died on Tuesday.
The investigation into the case is now focusing on clarifying the motive and establishing a complete timeline.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated that there are still “many unknowns,” including why Valente chose to return to the campus at that particular time, why he targeted Brown University, and why he singled out specific classrooms and students.
With the suspect’s death, the investigation has shifted towards understanding his long-term whereabouts, mental state, and the contextual links between the two incidents.
Records indicate a connection between Valente and the slain professor dating back 30 years. Both hailing from Portugal, they studied physics together in the late 1990s at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
Loureiro later earned a Ph.D. and excelled in academia. In 2016, he joined MIT and became the director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center last year, one of the institution’s major research facilities.
In contrast, Valente faced setbacks in his academic career. Born about 75 miles north of Lisbon in Torres Novas, he participated in a national physics competition in 1994 as a high school student and ranked third. The top five winners were eligible to compete internationally in Australia the following year.
Federal prosecutor Leah B. Foley revealed that between 1995 and 2000, both Valente and Loureiro studied physics at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
Loureiro graduated from the institute in 2000, while Valente, serving as a teaching assistant, had his contract terminated the same year.
In the fall of 2000, Valente entered Brown University on a student visa to pursue a Ph.D. in physics. He took a leave of absence in 2001 and officially dropped out in 2003 without obtaining a degree.
Internet archives show that before and after his withdrawal, Valente left comments on the physics department website stating his return to Portugal and permanent departure from the program in Portuguese, along with a cryptic message.
The university administration confirmed no involvement in any public safety incidents during his time at the school and no recent contact in recent years.
Scott Watson, a professor at Syracuse University who studied physics alongside Valente at Brown, recalled him as “almost the only friend” he had in the graduate program. Valente once confided his frustrations over dinner at a Portuguese restaurant near campus.
Watson recounted, “He said the course was too easy – and frankly, it was for him. He had already grasped most of the material and was indeed impressive.”
After advising Valente to stay on, Watson never saw or heard from him again after he decided to leave school.
His life over the past two decades remained obscure. His occupation was unknown. Before his death, he resided in a room in a working-class neighborhood in Miami, with most neighbors having no recollection of him.
A witness to the Brown University shooting noted Valente’s attire resembling that of restaurant staff, but his actual job status is still unclear.
However, investigators highlighted that when Valente obtained lawful permanent residence in the United States in 2017, the Brown University building where the incident occurred was listed as his “institutional address” on immigration documents, despite his withdrawal from studies fifteen years earlier, a detail becoming a clue in the investigation.
Police also mentioned that most survivors of the Brown University shooting did not know the suspect, and there is no evidence indicating a personal relationship between Valente and the deceased students.
The incident has stirred shock within academic circles and Portuguese society. MIT expressed condolences for Loureiro, recognizing him as an outstanding scientist and mentor. Portuguese government officials also expressed astonishment over a Portuguese citizen being implicated as a key suspect in the case.