Most significantly, Genovese’s death birthed the idea of the bystander effect - coined by psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley - also called Kitty Genovese syndrome. Rosenthal, the editor who’d come up with the number 38, soon released a book entitled Thirty-eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case. The New York Times followed their original story with another one examining why witnesses wouldn’t help. “I didn’t want to get involved,” the unnamed witness told reporters.įrom there, the story of Kitty Genovese’s death took on a life of its own. The article itself stated that “For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law‐abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens… Not one person telephoned the police during the assault one witness called after the woman was dead.”Ī man who did call the police, the article said, dithered as he listened to Genovese cry and scream. “Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector.” “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police,” their headline blared. Getty Images The alleyway in Kew Gardens where Kitty Genovese was attacked. Two weeks after Kitty Genovese’s murder, The New York Times wrote a scathing article describing her death and the inaction of her neighbors.
Moseley was arrested just five days later and readily admitted to what he had done. But Kitty Genovese died en route to the hospital. Some neighbors, roused by the commotion, called the police. As Genovese cried for help Moseley stabbed, raped, and robbed her. By then Genovese had managed to make it to the rear vestibule of her neighbor’s apartment building, but she couldn’t get past the second, locked door. He returned to the scene of the crime ten minutes later. She got up and walked out of sight, around a corner.” “ jumped up and ran like a scared rabbit. “I hollered: ‘Hey, get out of there! What are you doing?'” Mozer later testified. He went to his window and saw a girl kneeling on the street and a man looming over her. One of Genovese’s neighbors, Robert Mozer, heard the commotion. “Oh, my God, he stabbed me!” Genovese screamed into the night. He followed her, gained on her, and stabbed her twice in the back. When Genovese pulled into the parking lot of the Kew Gardens Long Island Rail Road station, about 100 feet from her front door on Austin Avenue, Moseley was right behind her. At some point during her drive, she caught the attention of 29-year-old Winston Moseley, who later admitted he’d been cruising around looking for a victim.įamily Photo Kitty Genovese chose to stay in New York after her parents moved to Connecticut. on March 13, 1964, Genovese clocked out of her shift as normal and started to drive home. She worked at Ev’s 11th Hour in nearby Hollis, which meant working late into the night.Īround 2:30 a.m. The Shocking Murder Of Kitty Genoveseīorn in Brooklyn on July 7, 1935, Catherine Susan “Kitty” Genovese was a 28-year-old bar manager and small-time bookie who lived in the Queens neighborhood of Kew Gardens with her girlfriend, Mary Ann Zielonko. This is the true story of Kitty Genovese’s death, including why the “38 witnesses” claim just isn’t true. Decades afterward, many of the basic facts surrounding her murder have failed to stand up to scrutiny. They’re less likely to help than one single witness.īut there’s more to Genovese’s death than meets the eye. It states that people in a crowd experience a diffusion of responsibility while witnessing a crime. Her death sparked one of the most discussed psychological theories of all time: the bystander effect. And, as the story goes, 38 witnesses stood by and did nothing as she died. In the early morning hours of March 13, 1964, a 28-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York City. Wikimedia Commons Kitty Genovese, whose murder inspired the idea of the “bystander effect.”