On the night of March 13, 1964, 28-year-old Kitty Genovese was returning home from her job as a bartender when she was attacked by a man outside her apartment building. After he stabbed her twice in the back, the woman screamed, ‘’Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!’’ A man opened his window and yelled down at the assailant to leave her alone. He then hid a couple blocks away in his car. Nobody came to help as Kitty struggled to her feet and staggered to the side of the building to get to her apartment. The man returned and stabbed her once again. This time the young woman shrieked out, ‘’I’m dying! I’m dying!’’ Many windows were opened at this point, and lights flickered on, as residents of the apartment building tried to see what all the commotion was about, but still nobody rushed to her aid. The man got in his car and drove away once again. When police failed to arrive ten minute later, he came back and ventured out to find Kitty. He eventually found her in the lobby, slumped on the floor at the foot of the stairs. He stabbed a third time, raped her, stole $49 she had on her, and took off.
Someone eventually did phone the police and they arrived no more than two minutes later. Kitty died as she was in the ambulance en route to the hospital. The total time it took for the man to kill Kitty was a harrowing half hour. Six days later, the assailant was identified as Winston Moseley, a married man with two children. It is said that at least a dozen witnesses to the murder failed to take action, many believing it to be a lovers’ quarrel, a drunken brawl, or a group of friends walking from the bar. One neighbor said he didn’t want to get involved. Another, who had peeked out his door to witness the attack, only to close it, said the reason he failed to summon police was because he was tired, and he just went back to bed. Winston Moseley, who sneaked out of his house while his wife and kids were sleeping with the intention to kill a woman, any woman, died in prison at the age of 81.
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