Dr. Joseph Vinton is a child therapist and a pedophile invited to the talk show of Richard Mason, only to be shot dead by Sid Fisher, the father of one of Mason's victims.
History[]
Vinson sexually assaulted seven of his child patients, taking them to an ice cream and candy parlor afterwards to silence them. Scotty Fisher reported Vinton to his mother Sarah, which resulted in Vinton's arrest. Sid, an active-duty soldier with angry impulses, attacked Vinton at the trial, resulting in his discharge from the military. Vinton served 18 months in prison and wrote a book as part of his rehabilitation.
Eventually, Vinton agreed to be on Mason's show Final Confession and to be taken the parlor to apologize to Scotty while Sarah supervised him. Mason wanted the risk of violent confrontation to bolster the episode's ratings, so he had Scotty tell Sid the parlor's location over a hotel payphone. As filming unfolded, Vinton told Mason that he committed crimes he couldn't make up for and was sorry, while Scotty said that he was ready to get back to his life.
Sid abruptly arrived midway into the episode and shot Vinton twice, killing him. After a lengthy investigation and trial, Mason was arrested and convicted for murder facilitation. (L&O: "Sweeps")