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Search Turns To Motive After Brown Univ. & MIT Suspect Found Dead; Today: Justice Dept. Deadline To Release Epstein Files. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 19, 2025 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:09]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, deadline day for the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. We'll hear more from one of the attorneys representing Epstein survivors.

And planting the flag. A look at President Trump's plan to go back to the moon by 2028 and beyond.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown, Wolf Blitzer is off. And you're in The Situation Room.

And happening now, the search for a motive after an extensive manhunt ends with the Brown University shooting suspect being found dead and tied to another killing.

Authorities say 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente died of an apparent suicide inside a storage unit in New Hampshire. The Portuguese National is blamed for Saturday's deadly mass shooting at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others. And investigators say two days later, he also killed an MIT professor.

Authorities also say the big break came from this man who police had been seeking. He told them about a chance encounter with the suspect at Brown University prior to the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NERONHA, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: He blew this case right open. That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence, that matched the satchel that we see here in Providence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right, let's go live now to CNN's Michael Yoshida. He is right outside that storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, where the manhunt ended last night. Michael, what more are you learning?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Pamela, you mentioned it. The manhunt ending right behind us at this storage facility. And investigators revealing new details about this suspect in both the Brown University shooting as well as that MIT professor shooting that you just laid out there.

We're told this suspect, this deceased shooter, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who was actually a former Brown University student, we're told was enrolled at the university in the early 2000s before eventually leaving the school after several semesters, and that he also had an apparent connection with that MIT professor.

Investigators say that both the suspected shooter as well as that MIT professor were at the same academic program back in Portugal in the late 90s. Some of the details, obviously, coming out late last night from authorities.

And a lot of this work that's going on right now is trying to go through that information, go through these backgrounds, and try and narrow in on a potential motive for both of these shootings. Again, that Brown University mass shooting, and then two days later, this MIT professor who was also shot and killed.

BROWN: Tell us a little bit more, also, how investigators tracked down the suspect.

YOSHIDA: Yes, really, this multi-state effort we started just last Saturday in Providence, Rhode Island. From there, we moved over to Massachusetts and eventually here into New Hampshire. And you talked about that key break, that big break that came from that Reddit post and an eventual interview with that person that led police to this vehicle and a license plate that was in the area around Brown University and connected with, at the time, a person of interest.

They tracked that to Boston, Massachusetts in a rental company where police were able to identify the person that had rented that vehicle, was their suspect. Going through the financial records of that individual led them to a storage unit he had rented here in Salem, New Hampshire.

And as they've been piecing all of that together, I also want to point out, they were able to place this suspect several days after the Brown shooting in the area very close to that MIT professor's home in a suburb of Boston, saying they have video surveillance showing that individual before and after that murder.

So a lot of the pieces starting to come together. And for that key tip that was put in by that member of the Brown University community, here's how they described that information that was provided.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRETT SMILEY (D), PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: He, within an hour, walked up to a Providence police officer and says, I think you're looking for me, and came in and was fully forthcoming, provided key details that helped us.

We had -- we had disparate pieces of information, and we had strong suspicions that -- that these pieces of information fit together, but it hadn't been corroborated. And he was able to do that for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOSHIDA: And we've also learned some of the steps this suspect was going to evade. Police were told was using an untraceable cell phone, using different credit cards not connected with his name, and also was switching license plates as he was moving between Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and eventually here in Salem. All of this, part of this active and ongoing investigation, as they try and track down a motive.

[11:05:05]

With that being said, still a lot of relief throughout these New England communities, knowing that this manhunt part of the investigation is finally over.

BROWN: All right, Michael Yoshida, thank you so much.

And now let's turn to the investigation. Join us now as CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe. Thanks for joining us. So let's take a deeper dive into all of this that Michael just laid out.

So you have this suspect linked to two very different types of attacks, the targeted killing of an MIT professor and the apparently random shooting of students at Brown University. For investigators, how difficult is it to see that link initially?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's almost impossible, Pam. Those two crimes on their face seem so totally different. On the one hand, you have the shooting at Brown, which is an unknown person walks into a classroom and shoots, you know, 11 people, probably none of whom he knew or ever had any contact or relationship with. So that fits into the kind of the investigative bucket of mass shooter, active shooter sort of things, things we've seen from mass shooters before.

On the MIT side, you have an assailant who gets into the home of the victim and shoots him dead. That's incredibly personal. Just from the way that crime plays out, you know that there is some sort of connection, some sort, if not a relationship, definitely a focus, right, of the -- of the assailant on the victim for whatever reason. So they're -- they're seemingly so different.

It's not surprising that initially investigators and the head of the FBI Boston field office said we don't see any ties between the two at this time. That was, of course, earlier in the week.

BROWN: And what do you make of the fact that this suspect shot and killed victims seemingly at random at Brown and then went and did this targeted assassination apparently two days later when this manhunt was ongoing?

MCCABE: That is the mystery that investigators will try to uncover now as they have the opportunity to really dive deep into the evidence that they'll -- that they will encounter as a result of yesterday's activity, right? So that starts with the search warrant they executed at the storage facility. They will now go back to the hotels that he stayed in.

They'll, of course, completely devour the rental car. And each one of these phases, they'll come across credit cards, e-mail addresses, and maybe social media handles, maybe actual devices. And what they're looking for are communications or writings, things that this assailant expressed either to other people or to himself.

And that's really their best shot at uncovering what the motive was for each of these crimes and how these crimes related to each other in his head. People are speculating that it's some sort of grievance. Maybe it's based on their interactions back years ago in Portugal when they attended the same institution. We don't know that for a fact yet. It's possible, but hopefully the investigators will come across facts that shed some light on that.

BROWN: And investigators say the suspect is believed to have used an untraceable phone, possibly using European SIM cards, an unregistered license plate on his rental car, switching out the license plate, avoided using credit cards in his own name. Does that show a level of sophistication and planning in these killings and his ability to evade detection for those days?

MCCABE: Absolutely. Those are very kind of high-level operational security or OPSEC principles that he conducted himself according to specifically for the purpose of evading capture. I'll point out another one as well.

The -- the -- what really opened this thing up was the witness who was able to identify a vehicle that the -- that the assailant was associated with. It's amazing to me that with all of the video capture that we have, all the, you know, all those videos we've seen of this person walking up and down different blocks around Providence, we never saw him go anywhere near a car. And that, to me, is likely an intentional act by him.

He parked that car somewhere that he believed he would not be seen getting in and out of it. Why do we think that? Because the witness tells us that after their somewhat hostile interaction on the street, the assailant walked to a car and hit the unlock button on the key fob. And then realizing that he had kind of told on himself in a way, he relocked the car and continued to walk away. He knew that if anyone saw him get in that car, they would be able to unravel exactly who he was.

BROWN: And I just want to go back because there -- there's two different images, and I want to make sure our viewers understand. There's the one of the suspect that we see on the video. And then let's just put up this other image who police had asked the public for help identifying because this person saw the suspect, you know, and the car. This person right here who had apparently posted on Reddit saying, you know, details about this.

[11:10:14]

And it's just a reminder, Andy, of just the vital role that the public plays, because you have to wonder, had this person or another person, a maintenance worker who -- who thought the suspect was suspicious, had they not taken notice, whether the search would still be ongoing right now?

MCCABE: No question, Pam. And this has always been the case. Law enforcement depends upon information from the community, from witnesses, people who were involved who may have seen something, even something that they didn't realize was significant. It's even more important now and easier to access in some ways that we have this video.

From my perspective, one of the best things this investigative team did is go over all of that, obtain that video and go over it with such detail that they noticed the interaction between the witness and the assailant on video. And having done that, they made the good decision to say, you know what, let's put the witness out there at our press conference and see if anyone can identify him or that might prompt him to -- to come in and speak to us, which is exactly what happened. And that really broke open the path for them.

BROWN: All right, Andrew McCabe, always great to see you. Thanks so much and happy holidays.

MCCABE: Thanks, Pam. You as well.

BROWN: Still ahead, what the number two at the Justice Department is saying about today's deadline to release the Epstein files and how it could fall short of what federal law requires. We're going to speak with a lawyer representing several Epstein survivors.

Plus, Health and Human Services now making plans to change the childhood vaccine schedule. That new reporting coming up here in The Situation Room. We'll be right back.

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[11:16:43]

BROWN: Happening now, this is a live look as crews make changes to the Kennedy Center sign to include President Trump's name. It comes after the institution's board of trustees, which was mostly picked by Trump himself, voted to rename the facility to honor him. However, it's not clear if the board has the authority to change the name unilaterally -- unilaterally since Congress designated the center as a memorial to President Kennedy back in 1964.

And happening now, the Justice Department is facing its deadline to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein case files by the end of the day. But there are some new questions this morning about whether DOJ will fully comply with the law. Here's what Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I expect that we're going to release several hundred thousand documents today, and -- and those documents will come in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with -- with all of the investigations into -- into Mr. Epstein. So today, several hundred thousand. And then over the next couple of weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And joining us now to discuss is James Marsh. He's an attorney for survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and a founding partner of James Marsh Law. So first of all, what do you and the women you represent make of Todd Blanche there saying that several hundred thousand documents will be released today with more to come in the next couple of weeks?

JAMES MARSH, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIMS OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN: Well, I don't think this is surprising for anyone. I mean, ironically, we've gone from there are no documents to now there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of documents. You sort of got to wonder, you know, given all of the rhetoric around the Epstein files for years from the administration and -- and all the people staffing these files, that this was, you know, apparently begun during the summer. It was stopped and now it would be done again in earnest after Thanksgiving.

You know, I don't think we're any -- any surprises here. Obviously, a lot of anxiety and anticipation among my clients and people that follow the story. But given the volume materials, I -- I don't think we're surprised.

BROWN: Right.

MARSH: We are, however, you know, greatly encouraged by the fact that they are going to release hundreds of thousands of documents and pages today. That is definitely a step in the right direction. I don't -- I don't think anyone is disappointed in that. We'll just have to wait to see at the end of the process exactly what are in these hundreds of thousands of pages.

Are they new materials, old materials, binders filled with blank pages like we had earlier, you know, in the spring? I think everyone is eager to see exactly, you know, what is the sum and substance of this latest release.

BROWN: And today is the end of that 30-day deadline by law for DOJ to release all the files. But just to follow up there, you heard Todd Blanche say that that more will be released under a rolling basis. So I'm curious, as a lawyer yourself, is DOJ following the law here?

MARSH: Well, I think you need to look at strict interpretation of the law and -- and good faith, you know, efforts under the law. Unfortunately, with this law, there -- there are no penalties for -- for violating the law. Individual victims like my clients are not allowed to pursue any sort of remedies.

[11:19:59]

We are pursuing that separately in a case against the FBI that dates back several years. So this is more about congressional accountability, public accountability, as you've seen widespread worldwide in a combination of not releasing anything. So I think this becomes more of a political issue than a strictly legal issue. And obviously, given this timing during the holiday season, the next two weeks, Congress is not in session. Nobody's really going to be in Washington.

So we're really looking at, you know, the beginning of 2026 to see exactly where we need to go, how much material is missing. And it's obviously going to take many, many weeks, if not months and years, to really process all these materials to figure out what might be missing and -- and, you know, track down any sort of leads or, you know, comments, innuendo, whatever may be in these files that leave perhaps and most likely more unanswered questions.

BROWN: And I'm curious, will you and your clients be looking for whether DOJ is actually releasing all that you all know that could be in these files and -- and ready to call out whether something is missing or not? I'm just wondering how you're approaching that situation.

MARSH: Yes, no, I mean, I printed this out today to show to -- to your viewers. This is Maria Farmer's FBI interview. And I will know that the files have been released when the many, you know, pages of redactions, you know, pages and pages of materials that are redacted in the FBI interview of my own client, my own client's words in these files from 2006, almost 20 years ago, will know that the department is complying in good faith when we get a full unredacted copy of her own file.

That's what we've been asking for. That's what we've been seeking. That's part and parcel of what our lawsuit is about and our FOIA request that the DOJ said they couldn't even begin to answer until 2027. So this is going to be a litmus test for us to see whether this is proceeding in good faith, whether these materials are in there. Our client has waived all her personal interest of all of the information. She wants this to come out and there should be no secrecy in hiding our client's own words to the FBI in this file.

BROWN: I think that's an important point that she has waived her rights to privacy here, because under the law, DOJ is allowed to redact any information about survivors. But what you're saying is that your client in this case wants the information out there. I'm curious, you know, we have talked to -- to some survivors who are a little bit anxious and nervous about the release and what it could mean for them. I'm wondering what -- what you're hearing from your clients about it.

MARSH: No, this is a very anxiety-producing day for people. For all the reasons you've articulated during this interview, you know, what's in there, what's not in there, how much are we going to get, how long is this going to last? Just for all those reasons, it doesn't have to be linked to any specific issue or concern.

Anything with Epstein, which has been a constant drip now for Maria's, you know, in her life, 30 years, anything Epstein-related always brings up a lot of emotions, a lot of feelings, a lot of stress. And, you know, it's -- it's a -- it's a difficult day for a lot of our clients. It's a difficult day, and the anticipation and the resurfacing of everything Epstein in their minds, hearts, and emotions, you know, can be very difficult, even in the pursuit of justice, transparency, and accountability.

BROWN: Yes.

MARSH: This, for many of them, has been a life -- lifetime struggle, and certainly it's not going to come to an end today, and certainly it's not going to come to an end with any release of any files or -- or any, you know, any sort of reckoning, I guess. What -- what we're really looking for is true justice and accountability. We'd like the government to take responsibility for its lapses and inaction over decades and decades with regards to Jeffrey Epstein, who was a well- known person to the Justice Department when my client made her complaint in 2006. Oh, I'm sorry, 1996.

BROWN: 1996, right. And then you had the sweetheart deal that was worked out, and then the other -- the investigation many years later after there had been some public reporting about that sweetheart deal. So there's certainly a lot of files and information and documents that DOJ has over those years that we are looking for in this release. I want to ask you about something else, because you talked about how there's mixed emotions here, understandably, because it just, you know, brings up everything around Epstein and all those wounds.

CNN has reporting that a number of Epstein survivors voiced their concerns in a private meeting with female Democratic lawmakers this week about the selective disclosure of Epstein-related documents and photos by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Do you have any insight into that? What more can you tell us?

[11:25:00]

MARSH: I mean, once again, you know, there's the politics of Epstein. There's the reality of Epstein. There's the truth of Epstein. And all of these things have been combined in a fairly, you know, toxic atmosphere over the last year. This really has affected and impacted the clients and the survivors who -- who really want full transparency.

And I -- I think what we're going to need at the end of the day, for lack of a better word, is a truth and reconciliation hearing, some sort of a body that can talk to the survivors, let their voices be heard, have questions and answers about the records. You know, the 9/11 Commission did some amazing work in uncovering all of the various complexities about what happened there. I think we're really going to need something similar here.

You know, clearly, our lawsuit is only a small piece of accountability. But I think for the survivors to really begin healing, it's not only the release of files, selective release, who's releasing it for what political purposes. They're really not concerned about that. They're really concerned, as many of the people have echoed on CNN this morning, something like this doesn't happen again, and that there is some sort of accountability and accounting for what happened. I think both of those things will need to occur for there to be any true justice in this situation. BROWN: All right, James Marsh, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

MARSH: Thank you very much for your --

BROWN: Up next, CNN's exclusive new reporting about the Trump administration's plans to change the current vaccination schedule for children.

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