Updated on 7 November 2026
Rome – The public prosecutor's office in Rome has opened a new investigation into the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini. On 2 November 2026, the 51st anniversary of his death, it emerged that prosecutor Silvia Santucci is leading the new investigation. Attorney Stefano Maccioni has requested that a witness who has not yet been heard be interviewed. In the attorney's view, the witness's account could help clarify the circumstances of the attack in Ostia.
Maccioni submitted the request in November 2025 and added the information about the witness in May 2026. He represents the journalists' association of the Lazio region, director David Grieco and writer Giovanni Giovannetti. The attorney based his request in part on footage from Rai news broadcasts at the time and on a fresh review of existing documents. He believes that Giuseppe “Pino” Pelosi, who was convicted at the time, was not alone on the night of the crime.
Pasolini's longtime set designer Dante Ferretti also commented on the investigation on 5 November. At the opening of an exhibition in Rome, he said that he had gone to the scene on the morning after the crime and had seen numerous shoeprints and tire tracks there. Ferretti inferred from this that several people may have been involved in the crime.
What did the earlier investigations find?
In an earlier investigation, the Carabinieri found genetic traces on evidence, including Pasolini's clothing, that could not be attributed to any person. The case was closed in 2015. The public prosecutor's office rejected further requests in 2016 and 2023. The 2023 request concerned, among other things, identifying three DNA profiles found at the time. Prosecutors then considered that the evidence submitted did not provide sufficient grounds to reopen the case.
Why did Pelosi's role remain disputed?
Pasolini was killed on the night of 1 to 2 November 1975 at the Idroscalo in Ostia, Rome's coastal district. The writer and director was 53 years old. Pelosi, then 17, initially confessed to the crime. In 1976, the court of first instance concluded that unknown persons had been involved. The appeals court upheld Pelosi's conviction but ruled out the involvement of others. Italy's Court of Cassation confirmed the verdict in 1979.
In a television interview in 2005, Pelosi retracted his confession and said that others had killed Pasolini. He died in 2017. His conviction remains legally binding.
