By Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — The discovery of the body of Claudio Neves Valente in a New Hampshire storage facility Thursday night capped days of terror following two deadly shootings on two separate major university campuses.
But the story, investigators say, began decades earlier.
Here is a timeline of the 48-year-old suspected gunman’s movements from when he first may have encountered one of the victims, according to prosecutors:
1995: Suspect and victim attended same academic program
Neves Valente was in the same physics program as one of his alleged victims, Nuno Loureiro, starting in 1995 in their native Portugal, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley said in a news conference late Thursday.
It is not clear if or how they may have interacted over the next five years or if they were in touch afterward.
Neves Valente was a teaching assistant at Instituto Superior Técnico until his contract ended in 2000, the same year Loureiro graduated with his physics degree. It is not clear why the contract ended.
2000: Suspect came to US for brief studies at Brown
Neves Valente began studying in 2000 at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, according to Foley.
He likely took physics classes in the Barus & Holley building, Brown President Christina Paxson said in a statement Thursday to students and faculty.
Neves Valente was on an F-1 visa, but his studies at Brown ended after less than a full year. This is a non-immigrant visa for international students to study full time.
2017: Suspect admitted to US under diversity visa lottery
Neves Valente reentered the US in 2017 via the diversity visa program, where a specified number of applicants from designated countries are admitted through a lottery system, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
There were about 6,000 Portuguese diversity visa applications that year, with 36 accepted, State Department records show. The diversity lottery program is being suspended in response to the killings, Noem said.
Neves Valente got permanent legal US residency, also known as a green card, and, at some point later, a Florida driver’s license.
November 2025: Suspect’s first recorded activity in New England
More than two decades after first entering the US and with no known US criminal record, Neves Valente rented a storage unit at Extra Space Storage in Salem, New Hampshire, according to federal prosecutors.
He frequently used credit cards under a false name, according to the prosecutor, along with a cell phone with service designed to be difficult to tie to a physical location.
“He was sophisticated in hiding his tracks,” said Foley.
December 1: Suspect rented a car in Boston
Neves Valente picked up a vehicle at a car rental office in Boston on December 1, Foley said, citing a screen grab of the video, which authorities released of the suspect later in the investigation.
The same day the gray Nissan Sentra was rented, it was first seen in surveillance video on the Brown campus, about 40 miles away.
The sedan would continue to be seen intermittently on campus over the next 11 days, Foley said.
December 13: Suspect shot 11 students on Brown’s campus, authorities say
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