Fifty years after Italian filmmaker, poet and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini was killed in Rome’s Ostia district on Nov. 2, 1975, questions surrounding his murder have resurfaced. Claims that the official account does not reflect what really happened have persisted for decades, while numerous researchers and witnesses have argued that Pasolini was not killed by a lone attacker but in a coordinated assault.
Seventeen-year-old Pino Pelosi, who was arrested following the murder, claimed for years that he had killed Pasolini after the filmmaker allegedly attempted to sexually assault him. But Pelosi’s conflicting statements in later years, along with new testimony that emerged over time, have become among the most controversial aspects of the official investigation.
“He went to Ostia for another meeting, not for sex”
At the center of alternative theories surrounding the murder is the claim that Pasolini went to Ostia that night for a prearranged meeting.
According to this theory, Pasolini’s aim was to recover the film reels of his latest movie, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, which had been stolen from Rome’s Technicolor studios several months earlier. It has been alleged that the thieves demanded money from producer Alberto Grimaldi in exchange for returning the film copies and that Pasolini had contacted them through intermediaries.
Director and actor Sergio Citti, a close associate of Pasolini, also reportedly said years later that the writer had told him shortly before his death that he was going to meet someone in Acilia.
Witnesses point to multiple attackers
One of the most disputed aspects of the case concerns accounts suggesting that other vehicles and people were present at the scene.
In his memoirs, published years later, Pelosi claimed that two cars and a motorcycle arrived next to Pasolini’s car in Ostia and that the people who got out forced him away before attacking Pasolini.
Numerous witnesses to the events that night also claimed that several people were present in the area. Some said that car headlights illuminated the scene of the murder and that they heard Pasolini calling for help.
Among those who argued for years that the official investigation had been incomplete were journalist Furio Colombo, a close friend of Pasolini, and writer Oriana Fallaci.
Allegations of political connections
The possibility that the murder may have involved political motives rather than being a simple criminal act has also been debated for decades.
Shortly before his death, Pasolini published an article titled Io so (“I Know”), in which he launched fierce criticism of Italy’s shadowy networks of power, terrorism and the forces operating behind the scenes. At the same time, he was working on Petrolio, a novel that was published in an unfinished form after his death and explored allegations involving energy giant ENI, Eugenio Cefis and the death of Enrico Mattei.
For this reason, some researchers have suggested that Pasolini’s murder may have been planned for political reasons.
Official account remains disputed
In a 2005 statement, Pelosi said that he had not committed the murder alone and that three other people had been at the scene. He also claimed that he had changed his earlier statements because his family had been threatened.
The ruling of the juvenile court that handled the original case is also said to have included assessments suggesting that Pelosi may not have been alone at the scene.
Half a century later, no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding the true perpetrators of Pasolini’s murder or the possible motive behind it. While the official judicial ruling has not been overturned, many historians, journalists and researchers in Italy continue to argue that Pasolini’s death was not an ordinary crime committed by a lone individual.
Be First to Comment