The latest report on the Tardashev killing is even more curious (as if that could be possible) than the first report. Conor Friedersdorf provides one of the better summaries of questions the latest NYTimes report raises. NYTimes details:
“The shooting occurred after an F.B.I. agent from Boston and two detectives from the Massachusetts State Police had been interviewing Mr. Todashev for several hours about his possible involvement in a triple homicide in Waltham, Mass., in 2011, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.”
“Mr. Todashev, according to the F.B.I., confessed to his involvement in the deaths and implicated Mr. Tsarnaev. He then started to write a statement admitting his involvement while sitting at a table across from the agent and one of the detectives when the agent briefly looked away.”
“At that moment, Mr. Todashev picked up the table and threw it at the agent, knocking him to the ground.”
“While trying to stand up, the agent, who suffered a wound to his face from the table that required stitches, drew his gun and saw Mr. Todashev running at him with a metal pole, according to the official, adding that it might have been a broomstick.”
“The agent fired several shots at Mr. Todashev, striking him and knocking him backward. But Mr. Todashev again charged at the agent. The agent fired several more shots at Mr. Todashev, killing him.”
“The detective in the room did not fire his weapon, the official said.”
If such a scenario were ever presented in an action movie, even the dumbest audience would laugh derisively. However, isn’t pinning the Waltham Murders on Todashev and Tsarnaev similarly implausible?
There’s a good reason why the Waltham murders is a cold case. The crime scene suggested more a crazed killer(s) than anything else. Killer or killers known to one or more of the victims. For possibly good reasons the police rejected that hypothesis. That left terrorist inspired killings or drug related. Not withstanding the relatively rare method of killing, there wasn’t much in the lives of the victims to suggest they would be terrorist targets. That left drug related. And not just street level drug crime related. More like a professional hit, either pre-planned or spontaneous. Pros know what to take and what to leave behind. Amateurs don’t.
I’m reminded of The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery. The robbers knew which packs of bills had had their serial numbers recorded but they couldn’t bear to destroy them. Thus, only an almost perfect bank robbery.
The BPD ruled out robbery as a motive given the thousands of dollars left behind and seven pounds marijuana scattered around the apartment. So, for some unknown reason Todashev and Tsarnaev would slit the throats of three men and walk out without picking up the cash? Only lift a gun for some crime in the future?
The only real clue in this case is the seven pounds of marijuana. Too much if it were planted by a killer(s) to mislead authorities. Thus, one or more of the victims was dealing drugs. The extent of that activity is unknown. However, the $5,000 and seven pounds is fairly low-level. Low enough that it’s surprising the activity remained completely concealed from, well, everybody. Or maybe not so surprising considering that we don’t commonly associate white guys with drug dealing. Plus that would hardly lead to a drug related professional hit and seven pounds of marijuana would be too insignificant to tempt a pro (pros).
It’s possible that one or more of the victims had substantially stiffed “the man” and therefore, had to to be “rubbed out.” A trite drug crime movie scenario. An alternative is that the “visitors” that night let something slip that made it imperative to silence the men. Doesn’t eliminate Todashev and/or Tsarnaev as suspects, but only if there’s a lot more to their stories than we know today.