Killer of Kitty Genovese Dies in Prison (Origin of “Bystander Effect”)

Interestingly enough, the New York Times' erroneous reporting had more to do with the inception of the "bystander effect" than the actual murder, for in fact, Geneovese's death was more the result of a single neighbor's negligence than 38 neighbors' inability to act.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_03/...

http://nypost.com/2014/02/16/book-reveals-real-story-behind-...

This event generated immense interest in social psychology concerning why bystanders and witnesses did not intervene.

From the article:

'Psychologists and criminologists called the reluctance of witnesses to involve themselves the “bystander effect,” or the “Kitty Genovese syndrome.” Studies discerned a “diffusion of responsibility,” finding that people in a crowd were less likely to step forward and help a victim. Some communities organized neighborhood-watch patrols. In New York, an emergency call to the police was simplified later in 1964 — from dialing “O” for operator or a precinct or a borough headquarters, to a central police number. The unified 911 system was not established until 1968.'

- Bystander Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect