PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State and federal officials say a homeless man played a key role in helping investigators identify the suspect behind the deadly shooting at Brown University and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor days later.
The man, identified only as John, came forward after recognizing police released images of the suspect. Authorities say his information, including details about a suspicious rental vehicle, helped link Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, to both shootings.
According to court records, John was living in the basement of Brown University’s engineering building in Providence at the time of the shooting. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the tip blew the case wide open, noting investigators had no confirmed suspect vehicle before the information was received.
Officials emphasized that eyewitness statements alone did not crack the case, but said the information provided by John was instrumental in advancing the investigation.
Neves Valente was later found dead in Salem, New Hampshire, from an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound, ending the multi state manhunt. Federal officials say the tipster is now entitled to the $50,000 dollar reward offered in the case.
We have so many questions that need to be answered. A few are, why is a homeless man living in a basement at Brown University and what exactly did he end up revealing that the eyewitnesses couldn’t?
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