A father who shot and killed his son's r*pist on television walked away without prison time, and his son is now opening up about the incident.
In 1984, a father named Gary Plauché waited at a Baton Rouge airport, disguised in a baseball cap and sunglasses, until the precise moment his son’s abuser, karate instructor Jeff Doucet, walked past.
Then he pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the airport, and Doucet fell to the floor with a bullet in the head — all caught on camera as it aired live.
Four decades later, the boy at the center of it all, Jody Plauché, is speaking out.
“When the lights came on, my dad knew it was time,” Jody told The Mirror.
“He could see Jeff and the sheriff walking next to Jeff — he could see them out of the corner of his glasses. When that light from the camera came parallel or even with my father, he knew to turn and shoot — that's why his timing was so perfect.”
It was a meticulously planned act of vengeance. Gary had learned Doucet would be arriving at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport from a local ABC affiliate employee.
Armed with that knowledge, he called his best friend, left the phone line open, and told him he was about to hear a shot.
The bullet Gary fired would later kill Doucet, who was rushed to the hospital but died after slipping into a coma.
Doucet was a 25-year-old karate instructor who had r*ped and abused 11-year-old Jody for nearly a year, all while hiding in plain sight as a trusted family friend and teacher.
The grooming began in 1983. “At first I was upset with what my father did because at age 11 — I just wanted Jeff to stop and not necessarily dead,” Jody told The Sun.
It escalated until February 1984, when Doucet kidnapped Jody and took him on a 2,000-mile journey across the U.S., evading authorities.
The pair traveled through Texas and eventually landed in Anaheim, California, even visiting Disneyland — all while the nation searched for the missing boy.
Jody recalled how Doucet manipulated his way out of town by asking his mother to borrow her car for a quick trip. Instead, they crossed state lines, stopping at various family members’ homes, borrowing cash, and boarding a bus to Los Angeles.
Ultimately, Doucet’s downfall came when he let Jody make a collect call to his mom on February 29, 1984.
After the call, the operator relayed the location to law enforcement, who tracked the duo to a motel near Disneyland. Jody was rescued, and Doucet was arrested.
“The phone call ended and I hung up the phone, the operator came back on the phone and told my mother the time of the call and the charges, and then [a member of] the Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department, he grabbed the phone and said, ‘Look, this is a kidnapping. I need to know exactly where that phone call came from,’” Jody recalled.
Back in Louisiana, the investigation was brutal. Jody said he was interrogated by police “like he was a suspect,” and subjected to medical examinations. Doucet was returned to face trial, but he never made it to court.
On March 16, 1984, as Doucet was led through the Baton Rouge airport in handcuffs, Gary Plauché was waiting.
Jody watched the moment unfold on TV and remembers being angry.
“Jeff would’ve likely gone to prison for the rest of his life, but Daddy gave him the easy way out,” he said. “I think for a lot of people who have not been satisfied by the American justice system my dad stands as a symbol of justice.
"My dad did what everybody says what they would do yet only few have done it. Plus, he didn't go to jail," he added.
“That said, I can not and will not condone his behaviour. I understand why he did what he did. But it is more important for a parent to be there to help support their child than put themselves in a place to be prosecuted.”
Gary was initially charged with second-degree murder, but after pleading no contest to manslaughter, he was sentenced to seven years' suspended sentence, five years' probation, and 300 hours of community service. He served no prison time.
Today, Jody is an activist and public speaker, using his story to encourage other survivors to speak out.
He wrote Why Gary Why?: The Jody Plauché Story, titled after the question an officer asked Gary moments after the shooting.
Gary reportedly responded: “If it were your child, you would’ve done the same thing, too.”
In the years since, Jody has found purpose and peace. “Knowing how it turned out, I wouldn't trade it in for anything,” he said.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org in the US, or contact rapecrisis.org.uk or call 0808 500 2222 in the UK.