Cold case: $25,000 reward offered in SCSU student’s murder
29-year-old film enthusiast killed outside New Haven apartment in 2022
Nico Saraceni was a writer, poet and avid film enthusiast. He loved Frank Pepe’s pizza, where he also worked. He was 29 years old and an interdisciplinary studies major at Southern Connecticut State University.
But on Oct. 10, 2022 – for reasons unknown to police – Saraceni was stabbed to death outside his Whalley Avenue apartment in New Haven, less than a mile from his college.
His killer is still unknown.
Saraceni, who was from Newtown, graduated from Newtown High School in 2011 and studied at Keene State University in Keene, N.H., before transferring to SCSU in the fall of 2021.
He was known around campus as a kind spirit, thoughtful with a creative flair, and had a passion for learning, staff said in a statement shortly after his death.
His family told the New Haven Independent in a 2023 interview that Saraceni had a “seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of cinema” and was a particular fan of horror movies. He had been scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2023.
Witnesses have told police Saraceni was smoking a cigarette outside his apartment just after 9 p.m. when a man in an all-gray sweatsuit approached him and stabbed him. One witness reported seeing a tall, heavy-set Black man walking east on Whalley Avenue after the stabbing.
Police have also obtained a grainy surveillance video from that night, which shows the person police believe to be the suspect walking along Whalley Avenue, but it does not show the assault.
After he was stabbed, Saraceni was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined something perforated his heart and lung, causing his death. A murder weapon has not been found.
The state’s attorney's office in 2023 approved a $25,000 award for tips that lead to an arrest and a conviction in the case.
“We wouldn't wish this pain on anyone,” the family said in a statement at the time. “We know in our hearts that there are people who know who killed our son, and are frustrated over the fact that no one will speak up.”
If someone would come forward, the family could finally get some closure, police said.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call the New Haven Police Department at 203- 946-6304 or leave an anonymous tip at 1-866-888-TIPS.
The family also established a scholarship in Saraceni’s memory at SCSU. To donate to the Nico Saraceni Memorial Scholarship, send a check payable to “SCSU Foundation” with “Nico Saraceni Memorial Scholarship” in the memo portion to SCSU Foundation, 501 Crescent St., New Haven CT 06515. Donations can also be made online at southernct.edu/giving. Select “Other” for a designation and enter “Nico Saraceni Memorial Scholarship” in the text box.