Harvard Students Remain Largely Unaware of a String of Violent Crimes in Boston

A series of violent crimes in Boston this weekend left two dead—including a pregnant teenager—and seven injured, with four wounded after a fight involving a machete, the Boston Herald reported.

However, conversations with a number of students indicate that Harvard undergraduates remain largely unconcerned. most say they remain unaware of the weekend’s burst of violent crime.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Matthew C. Plaks ’13 said.

One student, Lukas Strnad ’10, was unfazed upon hearing of the incidents because of their distance from campus.

“If it were to happen on the street in Cambridge, I would be seriously worried. But unless it happens immediately around Cambridge I won’t get too concerned.”

However, another student, Elizabeth H. Thompson ’12, when informed of the incidents, said, “I’ve walked into Boston at night once or twice and I probably wouldn’t do that anymore.”

Cambridge Police Department spokesman Frank Pasquarello recommended that students be cautious. “The only advice I can give people is that any time you’re in an area where you believe you’re in danger, always try to walk with someone. Be aware of your surroundings,” he said.

A BPD spokesperson said that investigators have strong leads in the murder of the teenager and are looking into a number of possible suspects in the other murder case.

The pregnant victim, Paola Castillo, was fatally shot while celebrating her 18th birthday early Sunday morning by an uninvited guest who had recently been ejected from her party.

On the same day, a house party in Dorchester ended in chaos when apparently unprovoked gunfire broke out, killing 21-year-old Carl Hentz Belizaire and injuring three guests. The other three victims are expected to recover.

Finally, at 5 a.m. Sunday, a brawl involving 15 to 20 individuals took a potentially deadly turn as one man pulled out a machete and left three others hospitalized with stab wounds. All are expected to survive, but their attacker escaped.