When Lies Become Legend: The Brutal Murder of Kitty Genovese
The true story behind the murder that launched 91 1
What happened?
The scene plays out like a horror novel. A young woman stalked, robbed, raped, stabbed, and left for dead, mere steps from the safety of her home.
Death came for Catherine “Kitty” Genovese during the early hours of March 13th, 1964. There was a chill in the air that cold winter morning when Kitty ended her shift as a bar manager at Ev’s Eleventh Hour Sports Bar. As soon as she clocked off, Kitty got into her prized red Fiat and made the journey to the Queens, New York apartment she shared with her girlfriend, Mary Ann Zielonko.
Kitty had met Mary precisely one year ago, March 13th, 1963, at Swing Rendezvous, an underground lesbian bar in Greenwich Village. The two fell fast for each other and decided to move in together. They found a second-floor apartment together in the middle-class neighborhood of Kew Gardens, Queens. It was considered a peaceful, safe area to live. Kitty had been eager to get home and see Mary on their first anniversary.
However, unbeknownst to Kitty, 29 years old married father of three Winston Moseley was lying in wait. Winston had spotted Kitty at a red light after she left her job and decided to trail Kitty…
