Four young men aged between 19 and 23, residing in the province of Forlì-Cesena, have been arrested by the Carabinieri on charges of aggravated joint murder for the death of Nicola Musiani, 54. The man had been assaulted on the night of July 18-19 in the square of viale Tritone in Pinarella di Cervia, on the Ravenna coast, near the camper where he lived. After being rescued and transferred to the Bufalini hospital in Cesena, Musiani died on July 22 from the injuries sustained.

According to the investigators' reconstruction, Musiani was struck repeatedly with kicks and punches to the head and chest, even after falling to the ground. At the end of the assault, the man reportedly managed to move a few meters before collapsing near a truck wheel. The motive has not yet been precisely determined: investigators are considering the hypothesis of an extemporaneous episode, linked according to some reconstructions to a look deemed provocative or a misunderstood word. No prior relationship between the attackers and the victim appears to exist.

The investigation, coordinated by the Ravenna Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Carabinieri of the Cervia-Milano Marittima company and the investigative unit of Ravenna, proved complex. Surveillance camera footage in the area captured some moments of the assault but was not clear enough to identify the perpetrators. A crucial role was played by footage recorded by a truck's dash cam, which allowed investigators to focus on a group of young people consistent with the one later placed at the center of the inquiry. Starting from these elements, the Carabinieri acquired additional footage from public and private cameras, cross-referencing it with database records, witness testimonies, telephone and environmental intercepts, and a series of surveillance operations. The investigation initially identified a group of seven or eight young people, later narrowed down to the four now arrested and taken to prison.

Investigations continue to ascertain further responsibilities and clarify the complete dynamics of the events. The mayor of Cervia, Mirko Boschetti, announced the municipality's intention to join as a civil party in any trial, describing the episode as unacceptable violence that struck the entire community of Pinarella and Cervia. Musiani was known to friends by the nickname "il Freak".