Mathew Daly is a mentally disabled man who was arrested for suspicion of child grooming.
History[]
Daly was 32 years old but had the mental capacity of a fifth grader and played an online video game with other pedophiles, unaware that they were child groomers. Believing he had made a friend in Silva, who had her doubts about whether Daly was truly a pedophile or just a man looking to make friends with no sinister intentions, he went to meet her during a sting and was arrested, frightening him. According to an officer, he sobbed during processing, making Silva and Benson feel bad, the latter pleading with Carisi for leniency, but Carisi refused to give mercy, not believing the true extent of Daly's mental disability until seeing him in person at trial.
Daly's mother Fran told Silva in the courthouse that Daly had never spent a night away from her and that he couldn't go to prison. Silva told Fran she would try to fix the problem, apologizing immensely for her actions. Silva went to Benson's office and begged for her help, stating that Daly couldn't go to prison. Benson and Carisi asked for a favor from Baxter to drop the charges and Baxter agreed, ultimately acquitting Daly. He met up with Silva and hugged her, thankful that he had made a new friend and Silva promised to play the video game she played with him online, remarking to Bruno that she now had to learn how to play it. (SVU: "Calculated")