Brown, MIT Shooting Suspect Found Dead After Reddit Post Helps Cops Crack Case

Written By Guest User

Plus: Justice Department Won’t Meet Friday Deadline To Release All Epstein Files

Good afternoon,

Before we get to today’s headlines, here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend in our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section.

What We’re Watching:

What We’re Reading:

What We’re Eating:

And now, onto the news.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Reddit Post Helped ID Brown, MIT Shooter —Found Dead After Multi-Day Manhunt

The suspect in the killing of two Brown University students Saturday and an MIT professor two days later was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage unit Thursday evening. Now investigators say they’re searching for a motive.

  • What we know about the suspect: Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, studied at Brown University in the early 2000s and became a legal permanent U.S. resident in 2017, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said Thursday evening. His last known address was in Miami, Florida.

    • He dropped out of a graduate physics program at Brown in 2003. University president Christina Paxson said “it is safe to assume” that the shooter spent a lot of time in the building where he opened fire on students.

  • Neves-Valente previously attended the same academic program in Portugal as MIT professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro, whom authorities say Neves-Valente killed on Monday at the professor’s home in Brookline, MA.

Police tracked a rental car reservation to link him to both shootings, but Foley added that he was “sophisticated in hiding his tracks.” Authorities say a key breakthrough came in the form of a Reddit post from someone who came in contact with him.uled to hold a press conference with updates Thursday afternoon, but postponed it as new developments emerged. Outlets are reporting that a press conference could happen “soon,” but not specifying when.

As of Thursday afternoon, the six remaining hospitalized victims from the Brown shooting are all in stable condition.

HOW THEY FOUND HIM
Days after the Brown shooting, police received an anonymous tip directing them to a Reddit post that warned authorities to look into a gray Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. The Reddit user said he had a strange and concerning encounter with Neves-Valente inside a bathroom on the ground floor of Brown’s Barus and Holley building, where the shooting happened. After the post, the author spoke to police directly.

  • According to an affidavit, the witness followed Neves-Valente after their initial encounter, in what he described as a “game of cat and mouse.” Neves-Valente appeared to circle the block and abruptly change directions after spotting him.

  • A university custodian also reported seeing a suspicious masked man whose clothing matched images police later released, noting he walked with a limp. Detectives found Dec. 1 surveillance footage matching that description.

Neves-Valente at a car rental office in Boston in November. Via: Providence Police Department

Authorities say Neves-Valente rented a car in Boston in November. He traveled to Providence to carry out the Dec. 13 shooting at Brown, killing Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov and injuring nine others. He then returned to Massachusetts and killed Loureiro on Dec. 15.

Bottom line: All the tips, along with home camera footage, helped authorities zero in on Neves-Valente and obtain a search warrant for a storage unit in Salem, NH, where he was found. There, police located the car believed to be connected to him, though Neves-Valente had switched its license plates.

WHAT’S NEXT
Law enforcement have not identified a motive in either attack. There is so far no indication Neves-Valente knew any of the Brown students, but a former classmate described him as unhappy and often angry during his time at the school. Authorities say he acted alone.

  • Policy moves: The Trump administration announced it is pausing the diversity visa lottery program, which officials said Neves-Valente used to enter the U.S. in 2017 before obtaining a green card. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the program posed security risks and should not continue.

    • Each year, up to 50,000 immigrants are awarded such visas, but must still undergo a lengthy application process and vetting.

🚰 An Easy Way To Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated can be hard. Luckily, LMNT is here to make it a whole lot easier.

  • What it is: LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix that replaces vital electrolytes without sugar, artificial colors, and other questionable ingredients.

  • Who it’s for: LMNT is perfect for athletes, folks who are fasting, or those following keto, low-carb, whole-food, or paleo diets.

  • LMNT comes in a ton of delicious flavors, like lemonade salt, watermelon salt, and mango chili — find the flavor that fuels you!

Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors on us with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/MoNews.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WAITING FOR

DOJ Won’t Meet Deadline To Release All Epstein Files, But Massive Document Dump Expected

The Justice Department will not release all the Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News – despite a deadline signed into law by President Trump.

  • But he said hundreds of thousands of documents will be made available Friday, and more will be released in the coming weeks.

  • Why the delay? According to Blanche, the team needs time to redact names or identifying information of witnesses and victims in the documents for their protection.

Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill in November, which President Trump signed into law, giving the DOJ 30 days to share the files. That deadline is today, Friday, Dec. 19.

BIGGER PICTURE
The law allows the DOJ to redact certain details and gives the department 15 days to tell Congress why certain documents are withheld. Frustration is growing inside the DOJ, CNN reports, as lawyers have been rushing since Thanksgiving week to review documents that can exceed 1,000 pages each.

  • What about the photos? In recent weeks, House Democrats have released batches of photos from Epstein’s estate (not the DOJ files); but critics say those releases include cherry-picked images that show prominent figures — including President Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates — but do not indicate any illegal activity.

    • Below are some images from the latest photo dump on Thursday. They include photos of women’s bodies with handwritten lines from the novel “Lolita” — about a French literature professor’s obsession and victimization of a 12-year-old girl.

What the documents might show: Epstein was able to amass his millions in wealth — and get close with some of the most powerful people in the world — through fraud, manipulation, and lucky breaks, a The New York Times investigation found.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

  • Trump suspends U.S. green card lottery after Brown University shooting (CNBC)

  • Milwaukee judge found guilty of felony obstruction in helping undocumented man evade arrest (ABC)

  • U.S. strikes 2 more alleged drug boats in Pacific, bringing total death count to over 100 (CBS)

  • Trump administration moves to dismantle national climate research lab in Colorado (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

  • Putin vows no more wars if West treats Russia with respect (BBC)

  • At least four people killed in mass stabbing in Taipei (GUARDIAN)

  • Gaza no longer in famine, says global hunger watchdog, after influx of aid following ceasefire (CNN)

  • South Africa defiant after US threatens ‘consequences’ over refugee centre raid (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

  • TikTok signs deal to sell US entity to American investors (MO NEWS)

  • HHS to announce overhaul to child vaccine schedule, aligning with Denmark (THE HILL)

  • Sony nabs control of Snoopy and the Peanuts in $450M deal (NY POST)

  • Instagram introduces limits on hashtags to prevent spam (THE VERGE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • Bowen Yang to exit cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ after Saturday’s episode (VARIETY)

  • Grammy-nominated artist Jelly Roll granted pardon by Tennessee governor in Christmas season clemency decision (FOX)

  • Majority of bets on underdog Jake Paul over Anthony Joshua ahead of Friday’s match (ESPN)

  • Paul King to direct Labubu movie for Sony (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Chipotle is rolling out a new “high protein menu,” featuring a new snack-sized protein cup. (Which is just…chicken or steak in a cup.)

The new additions come amid a GLP-1-fueled protein craze, in which products like pancake mix and ice cream are packing in more of the nutrient to keep up with demand. The menu will be available in the U.S. and Canada starting December 23rd.

Guest User
Next

Brown Shooting: Person Of Interest Identified; Possible Link To MIT Professor’s Killing