The possibility that Tamerlan might have been involved also could help explain puzzling details of this unsolved crime that never fit with a rip-off or a drug deal gone bad.

The bodies were covered almost ceremoniously with marijuana. And $5,000 was found in the apartment. Also, there was no sign of forced entry, suggesting Mess knew the killer or killers.

One theory is that Tamerlan may have taken exception to Mess either giving or selling pot to his younger brother. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was known to be an enthusiastic pot smoker. Mess seems to have been similarly fond of marijuana, as indicated by a tribute video posted after his death. The footage shows him taking a deep toke from what appears to be a joint at a summer pool party…

Another theory regarding the unemployed Tamerlan is that he was just looking for what one veteran counterterrorism investigator terms “a little financing.”