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| “ | Any touching at all, regardless of my history, is taboo in this frostbitten country. | „ |
| ~ Dayton complaining about not being allowed to touch teenage girls |
Scott Dayton, aka Thomas Dayton, is the secondary antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Wanderlust". He is a child molester who steals his deceased brother's identity, only to end up being a suspect in a murder.
He was portrayed by John Dossett, who also portrayed Joseph Pulitzer in the Broadway musical version of Newsies.
Early life[]
In 1990, Dayton was convicted of molesting adolescent girls and spent several years in prison. After he was released, he wanted a fresh start without the restrictions placed on sex offenders, so he stole his deceased brother Thomas' Social Security number so he could assume his identity. A dressmaker by trade, "Thomas" found a job in the juniors department of a boutique in Manhattan, a position that allowed him to ogle teenage girls and have physical contact with them that was just shy of inappropriate.
Six months prior to the events of the episode, he started dating Annabel Hayes, an emotionally unstable alcoholic; he found her needy and overbearing, but he told her he loved her so he could be near her teenage daughter, Virginia. His lust for her was unrequited, however, as she was in love with travel writer Richard Schiller, one of the tenants of an apartment building Annabel owned. Upon meeting Schiller, Dayton could tell right away that he was a fellow pedophile because he "knew that look" he gave Virginia, with whom Schiller was indeed having a sexual relationship. He could also tell that Annabel had a crush on Schiller, and they argued about him frequently.
"Wanderlust"[]
When Schiller is found murdered in his apartment with a pair of panties shoved down his throat, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit question Annabel, who says that she was on a date with Dayton at the time of Schiller's murder. They question Dayton, who supports her alibi but makes no real attempt to hide the fact that she feels more strongly for him than he does for her.
Benson and Stabler eventually discover who Dayton really is and suspect that he killed Schiller so he could have Virginia to himself. When they show up at his job and call him by his real name, he panics and tries to run, but Stabler catches unto him and arrests him for identity theft, which gives him and Benson an excuse to interrogate him about Schiller's murder.
Stabler, who is particularly disgusted by Dayton's crimes because he has three young daughters, accuses him of killing Schiller because he was jealous of Virginia's affection for him. Dayton claims to be a changed man, but he admits to stealing his brother's identity and breaking his parole, which would send him back to prison. He nevertheless vehemently denies touching Virginia and says that Schiller was her actual abuser.
Benson and Stabler question Virginia, who lies that Dayton raped her and Schiller tried to protect her from him, a story meant to frame Dayton for Schiller's murder - a murder that she committed because Schiller had tired of her and was going to leave the country without her. Eventually, forensic examination of the underwear found in Schiller's throat proves that he and Virginia were lovers, while her inconsistent story about finding his body incriminates her for his murder. She confesses to the murder when Benson and Stabler interrogate her, which exonerates Dayton. Nevertheless, he is imprisoned once again for identity theft and violating his parole.
External links[]
- Scott Dayton on the Law & Order Wiki
