On January 31, 2015, 42-year-old historian William Klinger was found fatally shot in the head and neck, face down in the snow near the pool in Astoria Park, Queens. He had traveled from Italy to speak at a conference and was staying with a friend in Astoria. Klinger was carrying his wallet, cash, credit cards, cell phone, and an Italian passport when found, indicating robbery was not the apparent motive.

Receipts on Klinger's body led detectives to review local store surveillance, which showed him with another man in the hours before the killing. Investigators identified that man as 49-year-old Alexander Bonich, a Croatian-born translator who lived with Klinger’s acquaintance. During questioning Bonich’s account reportedly changed; he initially claimed self-defense and later said he shot Klinger in a rage after a real estate deal between them collapsed. Police say Bonich attempted to discard Klinger's belongings outside his apartment and told officers he threw the revolver into the East River near the Roosevelt Island bridge. Bonich was arrested and charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with evidence.

Did anyone in Astoria or the conference community recognize Klinger or recall his movements the day he died?