Anthony "Mad-Dog" Moretti is a character in the Showtime series Dexter: Original Sin.
Anthony Moretti was a Contract Killer hired by various criminal organizations to take care of witnesses or other loose ends while leaving next to no connection between himself and any of his alleged murders.
He was intended to be Dexter Morgan's Third Kill following Tony Ferrer - having been found during a time where Dexter's heightened emotions following the death of Jimmy Powell brought on his urges to track and kill a new victim. He discovered Moretti's file in the Miami Metro Records Department, which he remarked that it was the size of a phone-book. Dexter had prepared a kill room for him but Moretti woke up, fought off Dexter and escaped out into the street where he was struck by a vehicle - killing him.
As Dexter did not officially commit the deed (thus satisfying his urges) it counts as Dexter's first Indirect Kill, as chasing Moretti into the street led him into the path of an oncoming car.
Background[]
Anthony Moretti was born on October 25th, 1923. When he became an adult he joined the United States Navy where he picked up his passion for sailing and the training necessary for his later profession. At some point following his service he became involved with the mob and found his skills as a contract killer allowed him to excel in life, adopting the name "Mad-Dog". Throughout the 70's he was detained for multiple murders but lack of evidence or witnesses disappearing (likely killed by Moretti or his associates) resulted in his release each time. During his active years he had residences in Chicago, New York and Boston but eventually ended up in Miami. Upon news of his arrival, as a courtesy from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Feds provided their research on Mad-Dog to Miami Metro Homicide. They referred to him as strictly a gun for hire, no affiliation with any particular crime family and never tried or prosecuted with no evidence linking him to any murders.
As he continued his life in Miami he would adopt the cover-story that he was simply a retired sailor spending his days sailing and avoiding any trouble with the police including minor offenses such as a traffic ticket. In reality he was still operational, with the funds earned from his contracts paying for his property as well as an extensive collection of guitars.
Summary[]
Following Dexter's first two victims, the body of Jimmy Powell is found strung up from a bridge and a crime scene surrounds the area, with Dexter watching as a firefighter brings the body down from the bridge. The sight of the corpse sends him reeling, completely locked up at the scene as opposed to any of the victims he had seen prior. Harry takes notice of this and sends Dexter with Officer Clark Sanders to another crime scene. As with Tony Ferrer Dexter finds himself needing to kill yet again as a response to the kidnapper's actions and finds out about Mad-Dog while he's searching through the Miami Metro Records department. After getting Harry's approval for the kill he begins hunting Moretti for what was intended to be his third kill.
Dexter: Original Sin[]
Moretti is introduced to Harry as an infamous hitman named "Mad-Dog", responsible for potentially 200 victims over the course of his career as a contract killer. Harry remarks that he remembers him, that around the time he moved to Miami the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided his department files they had on him though due to inconclusive evidence Mad-Dog was able to avoid being charged for his crimes. As Dexter remarks that he's now a retired sailor that charters a course around the Miami Bay, Harry cautions him that he needs to be careful around Mad-Dog - he's an experienced killer, a professional with decades of experience and he won't approve Dexter going after him unless he has proof.
The following day Moretti can be seen at Doc Slip 59 bidding two of his customers farewell as he finishes up tying off the boat. He makes his way to a nearby tavern where Dexter has been watching him, asking the bartender Jackson for a beer. Dexter greets him finally, going by the name of Doug as he inquires about chartering his boat. Moretti says he's all booked up this afternoon but he'd be able to take him tomorrow and hands him his card, which Dexter utilizes to investigate him. With Moretti at sea all the rest of the afternoon this gave Dexter plenty of time to investigate his house, breaking in with a lockpick at the back door. As he looks over the house we can see photos of his grandkids and himself as a young Navy Sailor in uniform, trophies from all of his different sailing competitions and even a mug that said "world's best grandpa". This investigation ultimately leads him outside when he spots a building in the distance and when he enters he discovers a large room consisting of various vintage guitars, albums, even more trophies and an office space. Dexter sits down and sifts through the material, ultimately stumbling upon a half-destroyed printout of a man's face. He decides to then take all the shredded pieces of paper to fit the photo back together.
Back at the Miami Metro Forensics department he pieces together the photo and flips it over to find out that the man is named Omar Reyes, whom Dexter finds out he has a record - an accessory to money laundering turned state witness on a RICO case due to a court date next week on June 4th, 1991. With this info along with other files he claims to have found at Moretti's house Dexter brings the proof to Harry and lays it out that Mad-Dog's next target was this man. After hearing the details as well as a convincing argument to Harry, he again states that Mad-Dog is a dangerous target to pursue - comparing it to going one-on-one with Michael Jordan (to which Dexter doesn't even know who that is). He dumbs it down to he's too advanced for Dexter...though Dexter responds, appealing to Harry's humanity, that Reyes is a husband, a father to twin girls...that he's just trying to do the right thing and could be killed at any moment. Harry takes a moment to ponder it, simply nodding to approve the kill as Dexter runs off with a smile.
The next day Dexter, as Doug, approaches Moretti at the end of the dock who lets him know about the others who chartered along with them - against Dexter's plan (he likely intended to try and capture Moretti on the boat had they been alone). As this halts his plan he goes along with the ride, with the group being out at sea fishing while Moretti himself plays guitar on the top deck. Dexter internally monologues how this was a professional killer at the twilight of his years while he himself sat at just the beginning. He then makes his way up the ladder to sit across from Moretti, remarking how it's quite the life he's got. He then asks what he did before this, to which Moretti states that he was in "real estate...foreclosures". Dexter, playing into the narrative (and relating it to his job as a hitman - which Mad-Dog seems to catch onto), asks how he got into "foreclosures"...to which Mad-Dog responds that a guy gave him an opportunity - found that he was good at it. Dexter asks if it was hard, to which he responds that nope, it was a job and it paid - for everything in his life including his own daughter's law school. In response Dexter asks if he ever felt bad about it...that all of them certainly couldn't have deserved it. Without missing a beat Moretti states that every person he "foreclosed on" deserved it, having put themselves into that position but Dexter responds on where he draws the line - families? kids? even little old ladies?. It puzzles Moretti, who takes off his shades and looks him dead in the eyes - "line? What do you care? It was a job, I got it done. I did what I was hired to do." and then smiles...throwing back on his mask "anymore questions"? before heading down to help the family.
Later that night as Moretti returns home he can hear one of his records playing in his guitar den and he makes his way there, with the song "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Albert King playing from the record player. As he looks down at the record spinning he is bashed over the head with one of his prized guitars by Dexter - knocked out from the impact. Dexter ties his hands and feet separately with rope while he sets up the kill room, placing photos of his victims all around the walls of plastic surrounding them. This was his intent to have him look at all the people he's killed - as he would do for so many others down the line. He wanted to talk with this experienced killer, get a real insight into him...and he prepared to remove his clothes, cutting away his shirts before lowering his pants. Unfortunately he forgot about the shoes and tried to work around them, only for Mad-Dog's eyes to spring open and he locked his legs around Dexter's neck, bashing his head into the table as they both rolled off onto the plastic covered ground. As Dexter struggled to get up he went in with a knee to his body, winding him while taking the opportunity to pin him against the wall. Utilizing the nearby plastic sheeting in the walls he tried to suffocate Dexter who starts to panic, throwing out a kick (or a punch, it's unclear) that knocks down Moretti long enough for Dexter to free himself and grab a nearby guitar. Moretti stops the fight, pleading with him to not use "The Clapton" which Dexter stops for a moment and then decides to break it which causes Moretti to tackle Dexter. This attempt leads to Dexter trying to strangle him with a belt, which Moretti counters by reverse headbutting Dexter in the face and he takes off running outside.
It's the middle of the night in a suburb - Moretti's down to just his boxers and he quickly disposes of the rope around his hands. He makes a full sprint down the street with Dexter closing in behind, charging at him in the darkness. He turns around to look at him, causing him to trip out into an intersection. As he tries to stand up, he looks to the side in terror as a car smashes into him - with Dexter left in shock over what just happened as he pulls to a stop.
Aftermath[]
Moretti's body is twisted up, having been killed on impact. As his body lay next to the driver's vehicle Dexter stands by, having gotten out of view in time while the distressed driver Evan kneels over the body crying in hysterics over what happened. A couple arrives in a car, with Evan pleading out that they call 911. Meanwhile Dexter races back to Moretti's home, noting in his head the response time of the Miami Metro PD and how long he had to clear the house of the kill room materials. As he races to clean everything up the cops arrive early, with Dexter being able to hide out of sight with some of the evidence. The cops survey the house briefly, with one cop remarking on the impressive guitar collection before both leave.
Once Dexter arrives home Harry can be seen visibly upset sitting by a police radio, asking Dexter how it went with Mad-Dog. Initially Dexter says it went good until Harry grills him over why he's hearing Moretti's name over the radio. After Dexter admits that he woke up early, got loose and was killed in the collision with Evan's vehicle, Harry reprimands him saying what if he hadn't died - what would he do then? Dexter says it's fine because he did die...though Harry doubles down, claiming he let this go on too early and that Dexter wasn't ready so he grounds him until he's able to check this out himself. The next day he heads to the morgue where he meets with Dr. Christian Vandewalker, feigning an excuse to check out the pedestrian death from the previous night. Dr. Vandewalker shows him the body, which was revealed to have been severely damaged by the collision - face missing, ribs protruding through the flesh, one arm twisted with bone poking out and even portions of the skull missing revealing brain matter. He states that unless there's some connection between Moretti and the driver that this case will probably not end up in homicide, which gives Harry some relief.
The following day Dexter is allowed to return to work by his father, though shortly after arriving he directs Dexter to a viewing room in order to do fingerprints (one of his forensic duties). As they approach the glass Dexter recognizes the man in the room with Maria LaGuerta - Evan, the driver that had accidentally killed Moretti the night before. Harry, testing Dexter in this case, has him fingerprint the guy if he's this confident that Evan wouldn't recognize him and leaves him to it. Dexter heads in, with Evan turning to look at him clearly...though he only ends up breaking down thinking he's going to be arrested for what happened. Evan's emotional state leaves him to his feelings as he processes what happened the night before...with Dexter taking his fingerprints while LaGuerta soothes his worries. She assures him that it was an accident, he's not a killer...and even provides Dexter some insight into his own mistake with Moretti that things sometimes happen - now it's up to him to fix it for the next target.
While Dexter was handling the fingerprinting of Moretti, Harry attended a hearing for Levi Reed whom he had arrested a few weeks prior. Due to an instance where he dismissed a good faith alibi from Levi's girlfriend Brandi Silvera, the case is dismissed and Levi becomes a free man. The case has a negative impact on Harry's standing, with his job on the line he wound up in a bar drinking before Captain Aaron Spencer arrives to talk with him. He says that he was able to save Harry's job but that for the time being he needs to be at the bottom of the homicide files with LaGuerta until the heat dies down, leaving shortly after. Harry continues to drink until later that evening he shows at Levi's house intent to kill him - only to be too drunk to clearly focus. Dexter stops him, this time utilizing a dose of M99 to subdue his father and then shows him a successful kill room with him in the victim's place. After talking with his father for a bit he eventually frees him and earns his approval to take care of Levi Reed - setting Dexter on course for his true third victim at last.
Motive[]
Unlike many of Dexter's victims, his motive isn't relayed on the table but in a one-on-one scene where the two sit across from each other - both wearing a mask while speaking truly from one killer to the next. While they hide the conversation behind the story of him being in real estate, handling foreclosures...what's actually said could be translated as such below:
"*'Dexter: So, what'd you do before running the charter?
~Dexter and Moretti's Conversation on the boat" |
Moretti rationalized his killings as a job he had to do, likely from his days serving as a member of the United States Navy (it's possible he killed a good number of people while in service). When he was approached by someone requesting a man of his skills kill someone else - he found that he was good at it. He continued this job, making a great deal of money with it while supporting his own lavish lifestyle and paying for his daughter's law school. His motive, at is purest sense, was money. While he had the cold instincts of a killer, his fixation with money meant he could continue to capitalize on it. As these kind of conversations are usually reserved for the kill room table what he told Dexter was probably the reality of it - it was a job and he got paid to carry it out. Every single victim he's supposed to have killed suffered for the same reason - someone paid him a lot of money to kill them. There was no personal motivation against any of the targets...which probably helped in preventing his capture by law enforcement over the years as all victims would have been unrelated to one another and only selected by clients.
Modus Operandi[]
It's unknown what methods Moretti would have used to kill his targets. Traditionally he likely killed them silently, via tools such as fiber wire, poisons, silenced pistols and so forth while wearing attire that prevented any prints or DNA evidence left behind at crime scenes. While he has been detained on suspicion over the years for multiple murders including those in Chicago, New York and Boston he always had a solid alibi, witnesses who would not testify (likely threatened or potentially even killed) and lack of evidence...which suggests that he was very careful. He has martial arts experience as well, as he was able to fend off Dexter with a form of jiu-jitsu and nearly suffocated him with the plastic sheeting of the kill room. So similar Dexter later in his life he would have the hand-to-hand combat skills to deal with targets and likely knew how to kill in various unarmed ways.
Victims[]
His victims' identities are unknown, any documentation shown within the series only hinted at dates in the 70's. From Dexter's research he has suggested that Mad-Dog could have killed around 200 people, excluding kills in military service. When Dexter sets up his kill room he prints out various photos of people ranging from young to old though aside from a single name many are just photographs.
The listed name, via a driver's license shown:
- George Cavallo, born April 3rd, 1959. Lived on 9545 Wentworth Ave in Miami, FL. Unknown when or how he died, though given the appearance of the man in the photograph and the expiration date of April 3, 1985 (with the issue date being 3 years prior to the day in 1982) on what is likely his last recorded license...it's possible that he was killed anywhere from 1982-1985, assuming he renews his license on time.
Trophies[]
As his kills were strictly part of his profession he did not "take his work home with him" so to speak. Other than funding his collection of expensive guitars there are no known trophies of his kills.
Attempted Victims[]
- Omar Reyes - State witness set to testify in court. His photo is found partially shredded in Moretti's office, based on the court date being set for the following Tuesday Dexter realizes Reyes is Moretti's next hit. Due to Dexter's intervention and Moretti's accidental death, Reyes was spared before Mad-Dog ever got the chance to take him out.
- Dexter Morgan - After Dexter knocks him out and puts him on a table, he begins prepping the kill room but fails to restrain Moretti prior to him waking up. Moretti fights off Dexter and tries to suffocate him with the plastic wrap he had lining the walls of the kill room but Dexter forces him off, before he chooses to run out into the street. Had he escaped it's possible that he would have tracked Dexter (who was using the alias "Doug") down and finished the job - potentially putting both Debra and Harry's lives in danger as well.
Appearances[]
Dexter: Original Sin[]
- "Fender Bender" (death)
- "F is for Fuck-Up" (corpse)
Notes[]
- Moretti is Dexter's third intended victim and like with his previous two, he struggles due to the lack of a strong sedative to subdue his victims. It is revealed that this third instance was the tipping point that put him on the path to utilizing M99 for future targets.
- For Nurse Mary there was a brief struggle followed by punching her out.
- For Tony Ferrer Dexter attempted a chokehold, only for Ferrer to try and fight him off with the two throwing each other around the kitchen until Dexter knocked him out with a stronger sleeper hold.
- For Moretti Dexter chose to wack him over the head with one of his guitars, which did knock him out but only temporarily as he was able to regain consciousness + free himself from the table, fighting against Dexter then he attempts his escape.
- Moretti is arguably the first victim to fit a specific detail in which Dexter streamlines the kill upon learning that killer is either actively looking for a new victim or is locked unto the next target. Other victims or attempted victims fitting that specific pattern include (but are not limited to) Jamie Jaworski, Jeremy Downs, Roger Hicks, Nathan Marten (although not lethal, a sex offender locked on Astor Bennett), Miguel Prado, Julio Benes and Beth Dorsey. Technically Nurse Mary fits into the pattern as well, however depending on account it is a chance encounter rather than stalking the victim that leads Dexter to a conclusion. At that point it's also Harry Morgan's decision.
- Moretti is Dexter's first encounter with a mob-connected killer, where he operated as a contract killer for various organizations. He would later encounter Isaak Sirko of the Koshka Brotherhood many years later, a brutal and efficient killer in his own right.
- Moretti is potentially Dexter's first major target as his victim count is rumored to be over 200 (which Dexter himself hasn't been able to reach) and the only other known killer to have such a high body count was The Trinity Killer who operated unencumbered for over 30 years killing in fours.
- However, unlike Trinity, he does not have the opportunity to kill Moretti as part of his ritual and he nearly escapes only to be chased towards an oncoming car that takes him out.
- Moretti has the shortest kill room sequence of any of Dexter's victims save Little Chino, who similarly escapes Dexter's table after fighting him off and runs out into the street. Dexter did set up the room with as many pictures as he could find but he never had a chance to actually have his one-to-one talk with Moretti as he does all his victims.
- Dexter's insistence on targeting Moretti draws concern with Harry, who believes that Moretti's alleged crimes make him a seasoned killer well above Dexter's capabilities however in order to save the life of his next victim (Omar Reyes) Harry gives Dexter the green light to move forward.
- Moretti has a vast collection of guitars, two of which Dexter breaks (one is used to knock him out initially and the second is done out of spite when Moretti pleads not to break it). The latter of the two he calls "the Clapton", which he begs him not to break despite the fact that Dexter intends to kill him.
- The Clapton is named for music artist Eric Clapton, with the guitar itself being a signature stratocaster painted white and black.
Gallery[]
