Vladimir Reznikov, 44, was killed on Friday, June 13, 1986, in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, in what has been described as a planned assassination rooted in a criminal power struggle. The day before his death, Reznikov confronted Marat Balagula at Balagula’s Odessa nightclub, demanding money and a stake in a gasoline bootlegging operation.

Lucchese underboss Anthony Casso is reported to have directed a setup: Reznikov was lured back to the Odessa nightclub on June 13 and was shot as he returned to his car. Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter are identified as the shooters in descriptions of the hit. For years the slaying remained officially unsolved; later statements by Casso named his role in arranging the killing.

Did anyone with memories of Brighton Beach or the Odessa nightclub in 1986 ever notice unusual activity around Reznikov or Balagula in the days before June 13?