A month after the brutal beating of fairground operator Stefano Cena, Italian police have arrested three young people, two foreigners and one Italian citizen, but investigations continue. The brutal assault at “The Wine and Grape Festival” in Capena, just outside Rome, was caught on video and spread on social media.
The arrests are seen as a turning point in the investigation into the murder of 64-year-old Cena, known as “Luigi,” a carnival operator who died on Oct. 14 after being brutally beaten on Oct. 5. As reported by Italian newspaper RomaToday, the assault was not a simple street fight, as first reported, but rather a punitive attack, which was planned in advance.
🇮🇹🔴 Italian police have arrested 2 foreigners and 1 Italian citizen for beating elderly fairground operator Stefano Cena to death.
Cena was trying to defend his wife and son from attacks when he was murdered.
The brutal assault at "The Wine and Grape Festival" in Capena, just… pic.twitter.com/Si1Gtx0T3B
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 10, 2025As reported by Il Messaggero, two 19-year-old foreigners and a 24-year-old Italian have been arrested. The three worked for Cena’s brother, also a fairground operator, with investigators exploring a potential family feud.
Investigators say Cena was involved in an argument with one of the perpetrators earlier in the night before the situation again escalated later in the evening. Video of the incident shows Cena trying to defend himself when at least five people attack him. Cena initially managed to get away.
However, Cena then noticed that the youths were targeting his wife and son, at which point, he approached the five men. He was thrown to the ground and suffered repeated critical blows.
During this act of defense, he suffered a “new and violent attack, falling to the ground and being hit repeatedly and brutally in vital parts.”
The police, alerted by citizens, only managed to stop the attackers when they had begun beating the victim’s son, who had also come to the aid of his parents.
Following investigations by the Italian police, coordinated by the Tivoli prosecutor’s office, the three suspects have been charged with voluntary homicide. The three are thought to have carried out the attack, but there are other perpetrators thought to be involved, with police continuing to search for suspects.
The investigation successfully “made it possible to reconstruct the exact dynamics of the aggression.” Decisive evidence came from video surveillance systems, telephone analyses, and on-site testimonies, which allowed authorities to identify and arrest the alleged perpetrators.
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