Debunking The Myth Of Kitty Genovese

Catherine Susan 'Kitty" Genovese'(1935-1964) was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City, on March 13, 1964 by Winston Moseley.

The circumstances of her murder and the lack of reaction of numerous neighbors were reported by a newspaper article published two weeks later; the common portrayal of neighbors being fully aware but completely unresponsive has since been criticized as inaccurate.

Nonetheless, it prompted investigation into the social psychological phenomenon that has become known as the bystander effect or 'Genovese syndrome' and especially diffusion of responsibility.