 As noted by Jesse Singal in an April 5 , 2016 piece " How the False Story of Kitty Genovese ’ s Murder Went Viral " in New York Magazine upon the death of Kitty Genovese 's murderer , the entire escalation of a myth surrounding the murder , alleging that 38 people had been silent witnesses allowing a vicious death to proceed in front of them , was attributable to the myth 's appeal to " truthiness " ( grounded in fear - of insecurity and lack of community spirit ) over full investigation into actual truth : 
