The investigation into the Islamic radicalization of the two men accused of the Boston Marathon bombing continues.

A report by Yamiche Alcindor in The Tennessean show that the younger brother did not exactly live a strict Muslim life:

Several students described a shared shock and disbelief as classmates discovered that Tsarnaev faces federal charges of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

“It’s like finding out your best friend is a serial killer,” said Jennifer Mendez, who met Tsarnaev last year in their freshmen dorm. “He was one of those people who would crack one joke and make your night.”

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, carried out two coordinated explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon on April 15, federal officials say. The bombs left three people dead and more than 260 others injured.

On April 18, the two allegedly gunned down Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier as they were being sought by authorities. The older Tsarnaev was killed in a confrontation with police last Friday morning. The younger Tsarnaev brother now faces criminal charges that carry a possible death sentence.

Normal interests

Mendez, 20, grew close with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Both moved into Pine Dale Hall to start their sophomore year.

She can’t imagine the motives behind Tsarnaev’s alleged actions. Like many in Pine Dale Hall, she didn’t connect the FBI-released blurry picture of “Suspect 2” to their classmate….

Tsarnaev seemed normal when she sat in politics class with him or when she passed him on the way to his third-floor dorm.

Constant smell

Tsarnaev shared that third-floor dorm room with another student, said Patrick Yaghoobian, 20, who lived next door to the pair all school year.

A strong smell of marijuana emanated from the room throughout the school year while Tsarnaev himself reeked of the drug every day, Yaghoobian said. The smell was absent April 15 when the bombing took place. But it was back the following day, though Yaghoobian said he hadn’t seen Tsarnaev for many days.

“I’ve looked into his room a few times, and there was nothing religious or nothing that screamed out,” Yaghoobian said.