Italy Has Reopened The Investigation Into The Case Of Pier Paolo Pasolini

• 3.11.2026, 11:02

51 years after his death.

The Italian prosecutor’s office has reopened the investigation into the murder of film director Pier Paolo Pasolini 51 years after his death. Lawyer Stefano Macchioni has presented previously unknown archival film footage and other evidence that may shed new light on the circumstances of the murder. According to Macchioni, a new witness has also come forward in the case, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“We believe that the Rome prosecutor’s office may finally provide the answers we have been waiting for so long,” Macchioni said. “At the same time, we urge everyone who has remained silent about what they know to come forward and speak up.”

Maccioni has already sought to reopen the investigation several times—in 2010, 2016, and 2023—but the prosecutor’s office has denied his requests. In 2023, a former member of the Magliana Gang claimed that the director’s murder might have been linked to the theft of the original film reel containing footage from Pasolini’s *Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom* and the director’s attempt to recover it.

Pazolini, a poet and one of the most outstanding Italian film directors of the 20th century, was murdered on the night of November 1–2, 1975. His body, bearing signs of brutal torture, was found on a beach in Ostia. A 17-year-old sex worker, Giuseppe Pelosi, was found guilty of the murder (Pazolini was openly gay). At his trial, Pelosi pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years, but in 2005 he claimed he had lied and did not kill the director. According to him, there were several killers, and they attacked Pasolini while shouting, “Damn communist!” (Pasolini sympathized with the Italian Communist Party). According to another version, the director may have had access to trade secrets of the oil and gas company ENI. After Pelosi recanted his confession, the investigation was reopened, but it yielded no results.