DarkHero73

> “I’m just a guy!” - DarkHero73 trying to justify looking for a thirteen year old
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## Physical description

### Hair Color

Brown

**"DarkHero73 "aka Matthew "Matt" F. Dooley** was a potential predator who appeared on **Dangerous Web** (the previous name for **To Catch A Predator**) in Bethpage, Long Island. He is best known for being the only predator to have their identity "hidden" in the final airing of his segment, as well as his constant rambling and aggressive attitude during the sting brought on by his schizophrenia.

## Biography

Prior to being busted at the sting Darkhero attended a school of broadcast in Connecticut hoping to become a sports announcer. According to perverted justice he lived in Queens NY. DarkHero73 had already been charged with stalking and harassing a former girlfriend. DarkHero was 30 at the time he solicited a girl he believed to be 13 years old for a date as well as entered into a master/slave BDSM relationship with the decoy. His exact words from the chat which was quoted in the episode was "I want to be your master so badly". When the decoy tells "I only been with one guy". Darkhero response is "that's ok you will be fine are you going to pose nude for me sweetheart?" The decoy says "mmmmmmnnnn maybe if you're really good lol." Darkhero then preceded to make a date with the decoy in Bethpage NY later on with the chat.

## Sting

Upon showing up at the house, Darkhero is yelled across the house by Del Harvey who he still believes is a 13-year-old girl to sit down at the counter. Where he takes a seat as well as he is confronted by Chris Hansen popping into the kitchen. In a podcast Chris mentioned lost uncut footage in his podcast says "we had a bunch of transcripts just sitting on the table", he was asking Darkhero which one was the right one until they found the right chat-log. Chris then says "why did you think it was a good idea to visit a 13 year old girl homealone?" Darkhero response with “I'm just a lonely guy I didn't mean anyone any harm" Although the exact moment when the cameras come out to reveal exposure has not been aired it is seen when this happens DarkHero immediately goes on the offensive, unapologetically stating he was looking for a girlfriend and lambasted Hansen for looking for pedophiles, seemingly unable to make the connection that what the sexual conversation he engaged in was a criminal act. He would also reveal he had schizophrenia and had just been released from a mental institution. He then finished off his tirade by telling Hansen he thought his story*“was ridiculous and a piece of shit”*, Although the rest of the audio is lost or inaudible Darkhero can be seen in the episode then leaves the chair and charges at Hansen. Fearing he would be exposed on TV and was about to face criminal charges he re-admitted himself to the mental hospital.

## 2019 Update

”Matt” would take to YouTube 15 years later on **Joey's TCaP Channel**, and would basically attempt to explain his appearance on the show. His “explanation“ would amount to nothing more than a rambling conspiracy theory including claiming to know the truth behind 9/11, showing his mental state was still very delicate. He was also heard rambling about how during the Cold War, the CIA tried developing a weapon that would cause Fidel Castro's beard to fall out. Matt also tried to maintain his innocence by claiming that "the people" at the mental institution never thought he was a pedophile. Matt also insulted Chris calling him a conman and brings up the fact that Chris bounced checks in Connecticut, which was true, but somehow proves that Chris framed Darkhero which makes absolutely no sense. He also claimed Dateline targeted him and he had some "mythical knowledge" only he knew and the government targeted him and also said something along the lines of Kendra's laws being part of it. Dooley also claimed that perverted justice made all the stuff he said up and he did not have as much sexual intentions.

## 2020 and 2021 update

In a podcast in 2021 "Predators I've Caught" Chris said some guy was cyberbullying/harassing Chris and saying nasty comments about him . Hansen did not feel like it was not necessary to call the police however when he looked at the account, he realized it was Matt Dooley. Hansen, in his podcast, calls DarkHero73 the most dangerous predator he has ever met. Hansen has said on record that he was only physically lunged at by David Kaye in the Fairfax predator raw episode. However, he also says he rethought that and DarkHero73 has also come pretty close to him in his segment in a pretty threatening manner, to the point Ron Knight and the rest of the camera crew had to nudge him away and over to the exit in order to defuse the situation. Chris also mentioned how due to his mental health, the decision was made to run his story, but keep his face blurred because he was believed to be a suicide risk. Chris then mentions the YouTube interview Dooley had with Joey's TCAP and says "he could have laid low and nobody would have known who he was but he decided to go public." Since they hid Dooley's identity. Hansen then said this is how this case raises awareness to mental health issues.

## Behind the Scenes/Trivia

* Later videos on YouTube (which have since been removed) would show the confrontation with his face unblurred
* Since this was dateline's first investigation into computer predators Dooley was not charge with a crime after leaving the sting house. However it has been specified by Matt Dooley to Joey from Joeystcap, Matt claimed a joint operations known as the FBI-NYPD task force (which NYPD is Dooley's local Police district) wanted to charge him with a crime since he was a high-risk person unless he would just institutionalised him himself to the mental institution to avoid criminal charges and which he did
* Darkhero says he's been to Riverhead and Rikkers Island two very famous prisons in the NYC metropolitan area as well as Creedmore Mental Institution which is also very famous in the area
* According to Joey from Joeystcap channel Matt claimed that Perverted Justice approached Suffolk police regarding the Bethpage cases but they refused to prosecute any of the predators because they already had their own internet child sex crimes force