Three men, one of whom was a Brandeis alumnus, were found dead in a Waltham apartment located 3 miles from campus last Monday afternoon, according to press releases from the Middlesex District Attorney. The autopsy showed that the men all died as a result of "sharp force injuries of the neck," and the medical examiner determined it to be a homicide.

The Brandeis Office of Communications confirmed yesterday in an email to the Justice that one of the victims, Raphael Teken, 37, was a Brandeis alumnus who graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in History. The other victims were identified as Brendan Mess, 25, and Erik Weissman, 31.

"Based on the present state of the investigation, it is believed that the victims knew the assailant or assailants, and the attacks were not random," according to a press release from the Middlesex DA.  

Teken and Weissman were both residents of Cambridge, and Mess was the resident of the apartment on Harding Ave. where the bodies were found.

As of press time, authorities had not released a motive for the triple homicide, though they do say that it was a targeted attack, according to The Boston Globe.

At approximately 2:25 p.m. last Monday, Waltham police received a report that three dead bodies had been found at 12 Harding Avenue in Waltham. Police responded and "located three decedents in the apartment," according to the DA.

On a WBZ Boston news broadcast that aired on Sept. 12, Maria Rosarti, who lives on Harding Avenue, said that she "was shocked, shocked, because it doesn't happen in Waltham, you know. It's a little too close to home right now." The Globe wrote that a law enforcement official involved with the case said that police believe that drugs were a factor in the homicides. According to the Globe article, Weissman was "charged with marijuana possession in 2008 and intent to distribute."

Geoff Langton, a neighbor, said in the WBZ broadcast that "[My mother] told me there was a girl running out of the house saying, ‘There's blood everywhere.'" He added, "There was marijuana, like, all over the bodies apparently."

Gerry Leone, Middlesex District Attorney, described the apartment where the three bodies were found as a "very graphic crime scene."

As of press time, the DA's office said that there were no new updates in the investigation, and Brandeis Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan declined to comment on the incident.

Some Brandeis students wondered why the University had not advised students of the incident. "When I found out abut the triple homicide, I was actually at work, and it was on the news, so it makes me wonder why Brandeis didn't even inform me of it. … for those people with friends who live off campus, I kind of worry for them because they are not in a secluded area like we are and no one seems informed about the triple homicide," said Nicole Nightingale '13 in an interview with the Justice.

Emily Diamond '12 said in an interview with the Justice, "I wish Brandeis had informed me in a better way: maybe they should have sent out an email informing us to be careful. A lot of us live off campus."