Kevin Morotto charged with four murders in Montevideo after operation involving 150 police officers
Kevin Morotto, aged 27, was charged as a co-perpetrator in the murder of a 19-year-old youth linked to INAU. He is being investigated for three other murders committed in July.
Charged with murder as co-perpetrator following operation in Santa Catalina
Kevin Morotto, aged 27, was charged on Friday as a co-perpetrator in the murder of a 19-year-old youth who was serving a semi-liberty regime for armed robbery, according to montevideo.com.uy. The victim, linked to the Institute for Children and Adolescents of Uruguay (INAU) through Inisa, was murdered on 28 July in front of an organisation facility while making use of a temporary release.
The charge came hours after Morotto was detained as part of "Operation Nimrod", a procedure planned by the Homicides Department that mobilised 150 police officers in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood.
Six additional detainees and four weapons seized
Along with Morotto, six other people were detained: four men aged 61, 31, 27 and 26, and a woman aged 31, for illegal possession of firearms and narcotics; plus a man aged 28 for contempt of court. During the searches, four pistols, six magazines, a box of 50 ammunition rounds, a high-capacity motorcycle and several mobile phones were seized.
Under investigation for four murders in July
The Ministry of the Interior stated that Morotto is being investigated for a total of four murders, all committed last month. The first occurred on 3 July in the Maracaná neighbourhood: the victim was a 41-year-old man who was arriving for work at a timber yard at the corner of Primera al Norte and Palmeras.
The second and third murders corresponded to a double homicide recorded on 18 July at the corner of Constitución and La Diligencia, in the Los Bulevares neighbourhood, where a 53-year-old man and a 33-year-old man were killed. The fourth case is the one that led to this Friday's charge.
Investigators, working under the supervision of the Second Shift Homicides Prosecutor's Office, gathered evidence that, according to the ministry, demonstrates Morotto's involvement in all four cases. He has a criminal record for armed robbery, aggravated theft, shootings, illegal possession of firearms and receiving stolen goods.
Three murder attempts in the past year
Morotto was also the victim of three murder attempts in recent months. The first took place on 24 September 2025, when he was released from custody. The second occurred on 20 July on Route 74, at the height of Canelones, when shots were fired at the vehicle in which he was travelling with three other men.
The third was recorded on 11 August in Ciudad Vieja, in front of Maciel Hospital. The main hypothesis of the investigation suggests that the three attacks are connected to a confrontation between criminal gangs active in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood.
Source: Google News UY — Montevideo