Italy reopens investigation into the death of Pier Paolo Pasolini
Prosecutors granted a request from a lawyer who cites DNA tests indicating the presence of other people at the 1975 crime scene.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
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Italy's public prosecutor's office has reopened the investigation into the murder of writer and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, which took place in 1975, Folha de S.Paulo reported on November 2, the date that marks 51 years since the discovery of the body.
The request was filed by lawyer Stefano Maccioni, who has for years demanded new investigative steps. He said he hopes the inquiry will close the case "once and for all" and appealed to anyone with information who has not yet had the courage to speak.
Pasolini, an important left-wing intellectual, was found dead on a beach on the outskirts of Rome. At the time, 17-year-old Giuseppe "Pino" Pelosi was detained while fleeing in the filmmaker's car and confessed to the crime, claiming the director had tried to rape him. He served almost ten years in prison.
In 2005, however, Pelosi retracted his confession and blamed three unidentified men with Sicilian accents.
Maccioni says DNA tests revealed the presence of other people at the scene and that Pelosi himself may not even have been there. Over the years, theories have emerged ranging from blackmail to an attack by the far right or the mafia.