Man detained in Montevideo suspected of four homicides who survived three assassination attempts
Kevin Morotto, aged 27, was arrested in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood after 15 search operations involving 150 officers. He is being investigated for four recent murders.
Operation Nimrod captures suspect of multiple crimes in western Montevideo
Kevin Morotto, aged 27, was detained last week during a police operation in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood, located in the western approach to Montevideo, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry. According to infobae.com, authorities are investigating him for at least four homicides committed in recent months.
The operation, named Nimrod, mobilised 150 officers who carried out 15 search warrants in the neighbourhood. Morotto has a record of robbery, aggravated theft, shootings, firearms possession and receiving stolen goods. Following his capture, he was charged as an accomplice in one homicide.
Four murders under investigation
One of the crimes attributed to Morotto occurred at the entrance of a juvenile detention centre. The victim, a 19-year-old inmate serving a semi-liberty regime, was shot when returning from visiting his family. He was close to being released and was complying with the stipulated schedules.
On 3 July, a 41-year-old man who was arriving at work at a warehouse in the outlying Maracaná neighbourhood was murdered in another of the incidents attributed to him. Two additional homicides occurred on 18 July: the victims were a 53-year-old man and a 33-year-old man. One was a neighbourhood resident carrying out repairs to his home; the other had a criminal record. In the same incident, an 18-year-old young man with autism was wounded in the face.
Three failed assassination attempts against the suspect himself
Morotto himself was the target of three attempted murders before his detention. The first occurred in September 2025 at the entrance of the Comcar, one of the country's highest-security prisons, when he was regaining his freedom.
The second attack occurred on 20 July in the town of Joaquín Suárez, in the department of Canelones, whilst Morotto was travelling in a car. The third attempt took place as he was leaving the public Maciel hospital—located in the historic centre of Montevideo—where he had received treatment for injuries from the previous attack. Criminals on motorcycles riddled him with gunfire. He was accompanied by three other people. The bullets caused damage to several parked cars, but did not hit their target.
The Telemundo newscast on Channel 12 reported that Morotto walks with difficulty as a consequence of the aftereffects of those assassination attempts. Authorities consider him a dangerous individual who accumulated enemies with different criminal groups.
Other detainees and seized material
Along with Morotto, a 26-year-old man was arrested for his alleged participation in the same homicides. In one of the searched homes, three men aged 61, 31 and 27 were also detained, as well as a 31-year-old woman. An additional person aged 28 was arrested for contempt of court.
During the search operations, police seized a pistol, drugs, a device known as King Running used to increase the firepower of weapons, a high-displacement motorcycle reported as stolen and several mobile phones.
Investigators link all the incidents—both the homicides and the assassination attempts against Morotto—to a dispute between criminal gangs operating in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood. Police continue investigating the attempts on his life.
Source: Google News UY — Crime