Enrique Morales

Enrique Morales is a fictional character played by NYPD officer turned actor David Zayas on the HBO drama "Oz".

Character overview

"Prisoner #00M522. Convicted April 6, 2000 - Murder in the first degree. Sentence: 25 years, up for parole in 15."

Morales is one of the most powerful Latinos in Oz, incarcerated for killing another man in a fight. On arriving in Oz, he assumes the position as the head of El Norte by ordering the death of Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez. Often allied with Chucky Pancamo, he is a true businessman who only makes decisions based on how to get more political influence within Oz. He is also less hotheaded than the rest of the Latinos. With Morales in charge, the Latinos prosper in the drug trade.

eason 4 Part I

When Morales arrives in Em City Chucky Pancamo, head of the Italians, takes an immediate shine to him. Morales is not like the current heads of the Latinos. He is more modernized and shares few similarities with the current Latino heads, Raoul Hernandez and Carmen Guerra, whom he calls "Spics" and "Old School Thugs." In order to take over the drug trade in Oz, Morales arranges for elderly inmate Bob Rebadow to bunk with Hernandez and kill him, pleading self-defense. Morales, successful in eliminating El Cid and gaining control of the Latino faction, joins up with Pancamo and Adebisi in running the drug trade. Their next concern is new inmate Desmond Mobay who wants to enter into the drug trade. The three vote on whether to include Mobay and after the resulting tie agree that Mobay must kill someone to prove his loyalty. Mobay kills a bigoted and corrupt detective serving time in Oz named Bruno Goergen who often spits out epithets at the three gangs. Afterwards, a new unit manager Martin Querns (who trusts Simon Adebisi) tells the three of them that they can sell all the drugs they want as long as they guarantee no violence in Em City. Morales, Pancamo, and Adebisi are named trustees of Em City and arrange for a change in the demographics of Em City. Morales and Pancamo are pleased about the removal of the Aryan, Biker, Gay, and Christian inmates but later realize that all the new prisoners and COs are African Americans handpicked by Adebisi and Querns. When Adebisi starts pocketing a larger amount of the drug profits Morales and Pancamo decide it is time to go to war. However, Adebisi points out their slim chance of survival in this now overwhelmingly black unit. Morales and Pancamo are then transferred to Unit B, where they forge a stronger alliace.

eason 4 Part II

Adebisi dies and his successor, Poet, is a mediocre leader. Pancamo and Morales run the drug trade sans Homeboys and marginalize the Black inmates. It goes well until Burr Redding comes to run the Homeboys to power. Redding is asked to sit down and listen to a deal on getting a slice in the drug trade. Morales is the main one offering it but Redding is stubborn and unwilling to work with either group, so there is no deal. Chucky Pancamo then helps Enrique frame Redding for murder. Morales pretends to offer aid to some Asian refugees who are temporarily placed in Oz in return for framing Burr for murder. Morales convinces the Chinese that Redding is racist towards Asians due to his Vietnam War experience (In reality, Morales exhibits more prejudice as he purposefully mispronounces their names and claims that their part of the world is backwards). Morales's skillful manipulation convinces Tim McManus that Redding is racist towards Asian people. McManus tells Redding that if anything happens, he will be held responsible. Morales trap the Chinese leader, Bian Yixhue and kills him, framing Burr for the murder. The Asian refugees see through his plan and tell Jia Kenmin, an Asian-American serving time in Oz, about Morales's actions. Meanwhile, Redding is acquitted of Yixhue's murder since Warden Glynn is unable to find hard evidence to convinct him.

Another plan to take down Redding is set in action by offering a position in the drug trade to disgraced Homeboy and enemy of Burr Redding, Supreme Allah. Meanwhile, Jia Kenmin is out to kill Enrique as a promise to avenge the death of the Asian refugee, Bian Yixhue. Miguel Alvarez returns to Oz and Morales tells Carmen Guerra, who wants Alvarez dead, not to do anything. Guerra has Jorge Vasquez attempt murder on Alvarez, but Alverez is armed and Vasquez dies instead. Morales and Pancamo tell Supreme Allah, who was hospitalized by Tug Daniels to put Redding's murder on hold but Supreme assures them that he will get Augustus Hill to murder Redding. Supreme is unsuccessful and is poisoned by the Homeboys in the cafeteria. Morales is then working on the elevator with Colonel Edward Galson, a marine Colonel imprisoned for rape, who attacks him. Galson has bonded to Redding through their shared military experience and attempts to kill Morales. Morales gains the upper hand and kills Galson. After a basketball tournament between the staff and prisoners, in which the staff win, Morales asks fellow Latino Carlos Martinez to cripple NBA prospect Dave Brass, a CO. Brass ends up with a permanent limp.

eason 5

A bus filled with family members of the inmates, including Enrique's sister Annette Osorio, crashes and everyone, except for the granddaughter of Vernon Schillinger and Father Ray Mukada, dies. Morales goes into shock and solely protests Guerra's plan to kill Miguel Alvarez. In the meantime, Chucky Pancamo and Peter Schibetta are attacked by the Aryan Brotherhood. Burr Redding asks Morales to work together with the Homeboys now that the Italians have lost their power. Morales agrees and work with the Homeboys. Enrique is curious as to why his sister was visiting and asks Father Mukada about her reasons. The priest tells him to call her husband Javier, who was evidently abusing her. Morales brutally attacks Javier in the visiting room after he admits to the abuse. To compound his problems, Enrique feuds with inmate Jia Kenmin, an Asian inmate whom he refers to as a "Piss Stain" throughout the season. Ryan O'Reily approaches Morales with an offer to eliminate Jia in exchange for injuring inmate Glen Shupe. Morales has the Latinos dismember one of Shupe's arms and O'Reily manipulates the COs into killing Kenmin. Things get complicated when Augustus Hill is hospitalized for a heroin overdose. Looking for someone else to blame, Poet forces Busmalis to say that Guerra sold Augustus the drugs. Furious, Burr Redding attacks Morales and the Latino/Homeboy alliance is broken. When released from the hole, Enrique meets Italian Frank Urbano and admits that he is sorry for allying with a "Nigger" like Redding and wants to be partners again. As a penalty, the Italians offer a 60-40 deal where the Latinos make only 40%. Morales agrees to this with the condition that they murder Burr. Augustus takes the bullet and dies instead.

eason 6

Pancamo returns from the hospital and Morales lets him know that drugs are flowing freely now that Redding is in shock over Augustus Hill's death. Morales, angry at the Homeboys, whom he constantly refers to as "niggers," asks Miguel Alvarez to spy on the Homeboys in order to get back into El Norte. Alvarez refuses since he wants to make parole. Carlos Martinez dies and Dave Brass, the CO whose NBA aspirations Morales helped destroy, seeks revenge. COs Brass, Murphy, and Howell put Morales in solitary and cut both of his Achilles tendons. In the hospital, Morales is killed by a (possibly racist) nurse named Carol Grace.

References