by Sharon Rondeau
(Dec. 18, 2025) — 10:02 p.m. EST – During a press conference in Providence, RI which was delayed by approximately six hours, city authorities announced the suspected murderer of two Brown University students Saturday was discovered deceased by his own hand in a New Hampshire “storage facility” Thursday evening.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez and Mayor Brett Smiley made brief comments announcing the finding, then answered questions from reporters.
In addition to the two he murdered, the suspect wounded nine other Brown students on Saturday before fleeing the scene. He was identified as Claudio Neves Valente, and he was said to have been “a Brown University student” who made his escape in a vehicle rented in Boston.
On Monday, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was found murdered in his condominium in Brookline, MA, and investigators are probing a possible connection between the two incidents, Perez said.
“He was a world-renowned plasma physicist and fusion scientist,” NBC News reported of 47-year-old Nuno Loureiro, who came to the U.S. from Portugal.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha spoke briefly, saying investigators do not yet know why the deceased launched the attack against the school. Minutes later while answering a question, Neronha stated the storage unit belonged to the suspect and that he personally has reason to believe the two murder sites are connected.
“We are 100% confident that this is our target and that this case is closed” concerning any suspects, he added.
The suspect’s last known address was in Miami, FL, Perez said.
At 10:20, Perez revealed, “We know he left Providence and committed a murder in another state,” apparently confirming Neronha’s expressed belief.
A witness to the Brown shootings who proved key to solving the case “came forward within an hour” of authorities announcing they were seeking to speak with any eyewitnesses, Neronha said.
A mask and satchel the suspect was wearing the day of the Brown murders were found near his body in the storage unit, he added in response to a question.
At 10:31, Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves’s “last class” at the school “was in 2001.”
Neronha said Neves came to the U.S. on a student visa and obtained “lawful permanent residency” in 2017.