Tamerlan Tsarnaev Eyed in Grisly 2011 Triple Murder

In the search for answers on the Boston bombing suspects, one new question: Was Tamerlan Tsarnaev involved in a still-unsolved 2011 triple murder? A rep for the DA in Middlesex County (home to Watertown) confirms to ABC News that the "possible connection" is being investigated. How the narrative is unfolding:

• The crime: It's a pretty horrific one, described by one investigator as "the worst bloodbath I have ever seen." The three victims, found in a Waltham, Mass., apartment, had their throats slashed to such a degree that their heads were nearly cut off.

• The odd details: Someone (ostensibly the killer) sprinkled marijuana on their bodies; drugs and $5,000 were left in the apartment. The investigator also notes, "There was no forced entry, it was clear that the victims had let the killer in."
• How Tsarnaev is connected: He sometimes trained at the same gym as one of the victims, 25-year-old Brendan Mess. They lived near each other in Cambridge, and officials think Mess may have even bunked at Tsarnaev's place on occasion. The gym's owner told the Boston Globe that Tsarnaev introduced Mess as his best friend.
• Why former friends now suspect him: A man identified only as Ray tells Buzzfeed that he now sees a red flag. "Tam wasn't there at the memorial service, he wasn't at the funeral, he wasn't around at all. He was somebody who was in contact with Brendan on a daily basis. Anybody like that you would think they would have been around."

(More Tamerlan Tsarnaev stories.)