Daniel Tadevosyan/ShutterstockOn a March night in 1984, a man was escorted by police through the Baton Rouge Airport after being extradited from California to face charges in Louisiana. The fugitive was 25-year-old Jeffrey Doucet. Days earlier, police had raided an Anaheim motel after being alerted that Doucet was holding 11-year-old Jody Plauche in a room with him (via The Washington Post).
Also in the airport that evening was Jody's father, Gary Plauche. Dressed in dark sunglasses and a hat to disguise himself, Gary stood by a bank of payphones and waited for police to walk by with Doucet. When Doucet passed close by, Gary pulled out a snub-nosed .38. He took aim and fired a single shot, the lone bullet striking Doucet in the side of the head.
Doucet's police escort screamed, "Why, Gary, why'd you do it?" to which Gary responded, "If somebody did it to your kid, you'd do it, too," before being carted off to jail. Doucet died the following day from the gunshot, prompting prosecutors to charge Gary with murder. The entire incident was caught on film by a local news crew that was there to record Gary being brought back into local police custody.
As the story began to unfold, it was discovered that the man Gary shot had been sexually assaulting his son for over a year. Though vigilantism is not tolerated by the courts, Gary maintained that he acted out of rage and desperation, doing what he thought was necessary to keep Doucet from ever victimizing another child ever again.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Doucet used Plauche's separation from his wife to get close to his prey
Jeffrey Doucet had been a close friend of the Plauche family and served as young Jody's Hapkido instructor. The Washington Post reports that Gary Plauche and his wife had a troubled marriage and eventually separated. Doucet and June Plauche became closer during this time, and Doucet began spending more time with Jody outside of the karate dojo. It wasn't even thought to be out of the ordinary one afternoon when Doucet picked up Jody from the Plauche home to take him on an errand. When he did not return with the boy after a few hours, June contacted the police.
Doucet made his way to southern California with Jody. At one point, he allowed Jody to make a collect phone call to Baton Rouge so the boy could speak to his mother. Unbeknownst to Doucet, the police had a trace on the call. It wasn't long before the FBI made their arrest and ushered Jody back home for safety.The initial charge against Doucet was aggravated kidnapping. He told investigators that he and June Plauche were involved and that he was using Jody as a way to lure her out to him in California. This would later prove to be a dubious claim by Doucet. Before he was extradited to Baton Rouge, he admitted to the FBI that he had been sexually assaulting Jody. Lab tests and a physical exam of Jody gave confirmation.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Plauche never served time in prison
Gorodenkoff/ShutterstockThe second-degree murder charge would almost certainly mean a stint behind bars for Gary Plauche. But according to theAssociated Press, he was able to strike a very favorable deal with prosecutors for a lesser charge. In the deal, Plauche pled no contest to one count of manslaughter. In Louisiana, this could mean a maximum sentence of up to 21 years in prison.
But at his sentencing, he was given a great break by Judge Frank Saia. Saia's ruling was a seven-year suspended sentence paired with 300 hours of community service. Additionally, Plauche was ordered to undergo treatment for substance abuse. So long as Plauche stayed out of trouble, he'd never serve a day in jail. Plauche was able to put his life back together after the trial and worked as a salesman, selling heavy equipment for a company in Baton Rouge (per The Advocate). After suffering a stroke, he died on October 21, 2014.
Jody Plauche wrote a book about the ordeal. All That's Interesting reports that he published the book "Why, Gary, Why?" to tell share his perspective on the events that forever changed the lives of his family. He has dedicated much of his adult life to helping survivors of sexual assault and tours the country giving presentations and training sessions to colleges and businesses about effective ways to reduce sexual violence (per the author's website).
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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