The first time John Gotti was mentioned in the press was back in 1959. According to a newspaper article, John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, Dominick Pizzonia and one Philip Nash had been arrested by the police for their involvment in a street fight against some black youths.

Already the day after the Castellano hit, the newspapers speculated about who was behind it. John Gotti´s name was mentioned in that context.

On the 19th, three days after the hit, Jerry Capeci wrote a piece published in the Boston Herald. Considering what informants and Mafia witnesses later told the investigatorns, the piece was right on the money. Capeci wrote, for example,:

- "The assassination of Big Paul Castellano was a kill or be killed affair for Gambino Family renegades....John Gotti knew that he had to move or be eliminated himself."

- "A year long feud between Castellano and Gotti´s crew of Queens mobsters did not erupt into violence earlier because of the peace making efforts of crime Family underboss Aniello "Mr O´Neil" Dellacroce."

- "Secret FBI tapes demonstrate clearly that at least one member of the Commission was sympathetic to the renegades in their feud with Castellano nearly three years ago. The conversation was between Ruggiero and Gerry "Lang" Langella, the acting boss of the Colombo Family. During the conversation, a portrait of Castellano emerges as a loudmouth, paranoid liar who is suspected of targeting two of his high ranking Family members, Gotti and Dellacroce, for death. There also was a discussion about how difficult it would be to assassinate Castellano. At one point, Ruggiero complains that Castellano is so paranoid and distrustful that he is worried about men carrying guns to meetings."

- "The feud escalated dramatically when Ruggiero and two other Family mobsters, John Carniglia and Gotti´s brother Gene, were arrested on heroin trafficking charges. Castellano had an edict prohibiting drug dealing by his Family members."

Capeci obviously had some good sources already back in 1985.