Knockout Theory Disputed

Knockout. It's a game in which the players try to punch somebody out with enough force to stun, rob and flee. And, according to prosecutors, it's the game that cost MIT student Yngve K. Raustein his life two Fridays ago.

But the students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School who are classmates with the three youths allegedly involved in the murder say they don't believe the prosecutor's accounts or the news stories. They--along with school officials and the city's police commissioner--do say knockout is a game, but one that Rindge students aren't playing.

"Everybody's weak here," said Rindge junior Shawn David, who was sitting on the back of a park bench in front of the Cambridge Public Library with four other student. "No one plays it because no one is strong enough. No one has the guts," he said.

David, a self-professed street tough kid, said he has heard of knockout but its popularity is being exaggerated by the media. "I've never heard of kids saying they were going out to play knockout or something. That's justbullshit," he said.

And some Rindge students even say that ShonMcHugh, 15, Joseph D. Donovan, 17, and AlfredoVelez, 18, were not playing knockout the night ofthe Raustein murder. Friends of McHugh, thealleged murderer, say he was notcapable--physically or mentally--of being a playerin the deadly game.

According to police, the three studentsaccosted the Norwegian-born Raustein and fellowMIT students Arne Fredheim in front of the HaydenLibrary on the MIT campus at 9:45 p.m.

After arguing loudly with the victim and hiscompanion, Donovan allegedly punched Raustein inthe face with enough force to knock him to theground. The teenagers then stole $30 from Rausteinand $3 from Fredheim.

If the youths were in fact playing knockout,the game could have stopped there--knockout ruleswould have made the assault a success.

When Raustein started to get up, McHughallegedly stabbed him repeatedly with a six-inchswitchblade before fleeing across the HarvardBridge to Kenmore Square, police reported.

Stained with blood, McHugh and his accompliceswere arrested by police at 10:15 p.m., 10 minutesafter Raustein was pronounced dead atMassachusetts General Hospital. The knife wasfound under a car tire in Kenmore Square andRaustein's wallet was found floating in theCharles River.

When the prosecutors bring the case to court,the story of knockout will likely be a part oftheir case against the three teenagers. Andfriends of Raustein say that according to accountsof the crime, the three allegedly involved in themurder were definitely playing knockout, a gamethat went from an assault and robbery prank, tomurder.

"They were playing knockout," said Naved Khan aMIT student and friend of Raustein. "That's why he[Donovan] hit him so hard...It's just that theydidn't think that Yngve would get up. So theykilled him...It was a crime that went wrong."

But there are doubts throughout the rest ofCambridge that McHugh and his friends were Playingknockout.

"No one knew about such a game," said RindgeVice Principal Dr. William McLaurin. "Onecounselor at [Rindge] knew it existed in NewYork...But there is no evidence of the game inthis high school."

McLaurin, along with several students,expressed outrage at the school's portrayal innewspaper and television accounts. In addition topainting Rindge students as hardened and callous,McLaurin said the media is "enthralled by[knockout]."

"The school is being portrayed as a place kidsgo to learn how to kill people," said Rindgejunior Byron Logan, who marched in a peace rallyto the MIT campus last Thursday. Logan says thathe, along with many other students "want to findout what really went on," expressing doubt thatMcHugh, Donovan or Velez actually played thedeadly game.

Logan added that a close friend of McHugh saidplaying knockout the night of the murder was alie--that the story behind the game was afabrication sensationalized by the media.

But it's not just Rindge students who think theBoston media is going overboard.

"What's fascinating [about knockout] is itsmere incomprehensibility," said media critic andWHDH talk show host Mark Jurkowitz. "If the mediahas misconceptions it's because this is one of theareas it's least adept at understanding--what'shappening on the streets with young people."

Jurkowitz, who hosted a show about the Rausteinmurder last Tuesday, said the Boston press hasgiven the story high-profile treatment because thecrime fits the "damned youth" preconception ofstreet life. That it was a senseless crime andthat society has lost control of the streets iswhat "makes a sexy story," Jurkowitz said.

The Rindge students who spoke at the peace inmarch in memory of Raustein all voiced theirdisapproval of violence but also emphasized whatthey think is the media's blown-out-of-proportionand exaggerated coverage of the murder.

"[Rindge] is not a school of violence...We alllook like a callous bunch of idiots," said Rindgejunior Nell Whiting, a neighbor of McHugh. Andpart of the misconception about her school, shesays, results from played-up accounts of knockout,a game she could never imagine her fellowstudents, not to mention her childhood friend,playing.

"He lived right next door," Whiting said. "Weused to play together all the time when we wereyoung...We're not too close any more but I justcan't imagine him killing someone."

"He was a very popular kid, close to a lot ofpeople," Logan said of McHugh, a 5 foot, 2 inchtall, 120 pound teenager who lives on SpringStreet in East Cambridge. DJ Rodriguez, asophomore who knew McHugh, also said "he didn'tseem like he could do something like that."

But whether McHugh, Velez or Donovan could orcould not do something like playing knockout ormurdering a 21-year-old students is something thatthe media is not focusing on, say angered Rindgestudents. Rather the focus is wrongly on howRindge students are players in the game, theyouths charge.

Vincent Spencer, McHugh's guidance counselor atRindge and Latin also said he has never heard ofthe game in the hallways or in conference with hisstudents. He said he never got to know McHugh, oneof his 200 students. But he adds that he had neverheard about knockout in the school until lastweek, when the murder was announced.

Police Commissioner Perry L. Anderson agrees.Although he acknowledges that McHugh may well havebeen playing the game that one night, he doubtsanyone else is playing it.

"[Knockout] doesn't exist within the city,"Police Commissioner Perry L. Anderson told TheCrimson. "It's not something that's widely knownabout or practiced by people in gangs or peoplenot in gangs.

And some Rindge students even say that ShonMcHugh, 15, Joseph D. Donovan, 17, and AlfredoVelez, 18, were not playing knockout the night ofthe Raustein murder. Friends of McHugh, thealleged murderer, say he was notcapable--physically or mentally--of being a playerin the deadly game.

According to police, the three studentsaccosted the Norwegian-born Raustein and fellowMIT students Arne Fredheim in front of the HaydenLibrary on the MIT campus at 9:45 p.m.

After arguing loudly with the victim and hiscompanion, Donovan allegedly punched Raustein inthe face with enough force to knock him to theground. The teenagers then stole $30 from Rausteinand $3 from Fredheim.

If the youths were in fact playing knockout,the game could have stopped there--knockout ruleswould have made the assault a success.

When Raustein started to get up, McHughallegedly stabbed him repeatedly with a six-inchswitchblade before fleeing across the HarvardBridge to Kenmore Square, police reported.

Stained with blood, McHugh and his accompliceswere arrested by police at 10:15 p.m., 10 minutesafter Raustein was pronounced dead atMassachusetts General Hospital. The knife wasfound under a car tire in Kenmore Square andRaustein's wallet was found floating in theCharles River.

When the prosecutors bring the case to court,the story of knockout will likely be a part oftheir case against the three teenagers. Andfriends of Raustein say that according to accountsof the crime, the three allegedly involved in themurder were definitely playing knockout, a gamethat went from an assault and robbery prank, tomurder.

"They were playing knockout," said Naved Khan aMIT student and friend of Raustein. "That's why he[Donovan] hit him so hard...It's just that theydidn't think that Yngve would get up. So theykilled him...It was a crime that went wrong."

But there are doubts throughout the rest ofCambridge that McHugh and his friends were Playingknockout.

"No one knew about such a game," said RindgeVice Principal Dr. William McLaurin. "Onecounselor at [Rindge] knew it existed in NewYork...But there is no evidence of the game inthis high school."

McLaurin, along with several students,expressed outrage at the school's portrayal innewspaper and television accounts. In addition topainting Rindge students as hardened and callous,McLaurin said the media is "enthralled by[knockout]."

"The school is being portrayed as a place kidsgo to learn how to kill people," said Rindgejunior Byron Logan, who marched in a peace rallyto the MIT campus last Thursday. Logan says thathe, along with many other students "want to findout what really went on," expressing doubt thatMcHugh, Donovan or Velez actually played thedeadly game.

Logan added that a close friend of McHugh saidplaying knockout the night of the murder was alie--that the story behind the game was afabrication sensationalized by the media.

But it's not just Rindge students who think theBoston media is going overboard.

"What's fascinating [about knockout] is itsmere incomprehensibility," said media critic andWHDH talk show host Mark Jurkowitz. "If the mediahas misconceptions it's because this is one of theareas it's least adept at understanding--what'shappening on the streets with young people."

Jurkowitz, who hosted a show about the Rausteinmurder last Tuesday, said the Boston press hasgiven the story high-profile treatment because thecrime fits the "damned youth" preconception ofstreet life. That it was a senseless crime andthat society has lost control of the streets iswhat "makes a sexy story," Jurkowitz said.

The Rindge students who spoke at the peace inmarch in memory of Raustein all voiced theirdisapproval of violence but also emphasized whatthey think is the media's blown-out-of-proportionand exaggerated coverage of the murder.

"[Rindge] is not a school of violence...We alllook like a callous bunch of idiots," said Rindgejunior Nell Whiting, a neighbor of McHugh. Andpart of the misconception about her school, shesays, results from played-up accounts of knockout,a game she could never imagine her fellowstudents, not to mention her childhood friend,playing.

"He lived right next door," Whiting said. "Weused to play together all the time when we wereyoung...We're not too close any more but I justcan't imagine him killing someone."

"He was a very popular kid, close to a lot ofpeople," Logan said of McHugh, a 5 foot, 2 inchtall, 120 pound teenager who lives on SpringStreet in East Cambridge. DJ Rodriguez, asophomore who knew McHugh, also said "he didn'tseem like he could do something like that."

But whether McHugh, Velez or Donovan could orcould not do something like playing knockout ormurdering a 21-year-old students is something thatthe media is not focusing on, say angered Rindgestudents. Rather the focus is wrongly on howRindge students are players in the game, theyouths charge.

Vincent Spencer, McHugh's guidance counselor atRindge and Latin also said he has never heard ofthe game in the hallways or in conference with hisstudents. He said he never got to know McHugh, oneof his 200 students. But he adds that he had neverheard about knockout in the school until lastweek, when the murder was announced.

Police Commissioner Perry L. Anderson agrees.Although he acknowledges that McHugh may well havebeen playing the game that one night, he doubtsanyone else is playing it.

"[Knockout] doesn't exist within the city,"Police Commissioner Perry L. Anderson told TheCrimson. "It's not something that's widely knownabout or practiced by people in gangs or peoplenot in gangs.