Kitty Genovese's Brother Searches for Truth in Her Tragic Murder

For years, Kitty Genovese's name was synonymous with bystander apathy in New York City. The 28-year-old was stabbed to death in Kew Gardens, Queens, in 1964, and news reports at the time claimed 38 people had witnessed her death and did nothing to help.

While that narrative has been largely debunked, a new documentary, The Witness, explores many of the questions surrounding her murder. The film is directed by James Solomon, and tells the story of Kitty's youngest brother, Bill Genovese, who was 16 when his sister was killed.

"I owed it to my family, I owed it to Kitty, and I owed it to myself to pursue this," he said. "That was Kitty's modus operandi in terms of our relationship. We were ... both very curious, and, you know, if you didn't know the answer, go find out about it."

Director James Solomon said the film was a way to reclaim the narrative of her death by exploring her life.

"She was a great New Yorker, 28-years-old, driving a red convertible Fiat, worked in a bar — managed the bar — met her girlfriend in Greenwich Village, moved to Kew Gardens," he said. "She was sort of the quintessential New Yorker."

In this interview, WNYC's Jami Floyd talks with Genovese and Solomon about Kitty and The Witness.