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Pasolini’s Killing at 50: Italy Marks the Anniversary as Questions Persist

Anniversary events revive scrutiny of unresolved evidence tied to a verdict that named a single teenage culprit.

Overview

  • Pier Paolo Pasolini was murdered during the night of November 1–2, 1975 at the Idroscalo in Ostia on Rome’s seaside.
  • An appellate court ruling on December 4, 1976 established the judicial finding that 17-year-old Pino Pelosi acted alone, after he was stopped driving Pasolini’s Alfa 2000 GT.
  • Subsequent reporting highlighted new witnesses, third‑party‑relayed confessions, multiple genetic profiles at the crime scene, and the theft of a Salò film reel, deepening doubts about a lone attacker.
  • Authorities have reopened the inquiry multiple times without definitive results, and probes into possible organized-crime links, including the Banda della Magliana, remain inconclusive.
  • Commemorations are planned across Italy, including in Ostia and Casarsa della Delizia, underscoring the enduring public debate over the case and Pasolini’s legacy.