Italian justice has reopened the investigation into the 1975 murder of writer, filmmaker and journalist Pier Paolo Pasolini, according to lawyer Stefano Maccioni, who announced the development on Monday, November 2. Maccioni has sought a new inquiry for years and said he hopes it can bring the case to a conclusion.
The lawyer appealed to anyone with information who had previously remained silent to come forward. He formerly represented Pasolini’s cousin and now acts for the Lazio journalists’ association, a filmmaker and a writer.
Pasolini, a prominent left-wing intellectual, was 53 when he was found dead on a beach near Rome. He had been severely beaten before an Alfa Romeo GT, either his own car or another vehicle, drove over his body.
That same day, 17-year-old sex worker Giuseppe “Pino” Pelosi was arrested while driving Pasolini’s car. Pelosi initially claimed sole responsibility, saying he had acted in self-defense against an attempted sexual assault by the filmmaker. After spending nearly a decade in prison, he withdrew his confession in 2005 and blamed three unidentified men who, he said, spoke with Sicilian accents.
Maccioni said DNA tests had indicated the presence of other people at the crime scene. He urged prosecutors to bring together the available evidence and reconstruct what happened.
Several theories about Pasolini’s killing have circulated since his death, including blackmail and a possible crime ordered by far-right groups or the mafia. Pasolini was known for challenging bourgeois values, Catholic censorship and the threat of neo-fascism. His final film, “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom,” was released after his death and caused a scandal because of its depiction of violence and sexual abuse.
Sources: Le Monde International.