A dad who shot his son’s abuser on live TV has sparked a fierce debate about vigilante justice.
Finding out something horrible has happened to your child is every parent’s worst nightmare.
However, the majority of parents believe that justice for their little ones should be left in the hands of the law.
But one father decided that this wasn’t good enough.
Gary Plauché took matters into his own hands, and ended up shooting his son Jody’s abuser live on television.
News of his extreme revenge has sparked a debate online.
Some parents have spoken out in favor of vigilantism, with one writing: “Absolute justice right there… well played sir.”
A second says: “I definitely condone. The laws do not protect you! I’m also a realist and expect to be in jail for it.”
“I’d have done the same thing trust me. But you should get some jail time for it. You can’t see people doing this and not getting jail,” adds a third.
However, another commenter disagrees, penning: “Wow, I’m done with this story. I don’t condone vigilante violence.”
In 1984, a disturbing case of child abduction and sexual abuse shook the Baton Rouge community.
An 11-year-old boy named Jody Plauché was kidnapped and assaulted by his karate instructor, Jeff Doucet.
After nearly a year of grooming and abuse, Doucet took the unthinkable step of abducting Jody and transporting him across state lines to California.
There, Doucet held Jody captive in a motel room, continuing to sexually abuse the young boy.
In Jody’s own words to the Advocate: “Jeff would go, ‘We need to stretch,’ so he’d be touching around my legs. That way, if he grabbed my private area, he could say, ‘It was an accident; we were just trying to stretch.’”
Doucet used insidious tactics to exploit Jody’s trust, as the victim recounted, “That’s that slow, gradual seduction.”
However, authorities were soon able to trace a phone call Jody made to his mother and rescued him, arresting Doucet in the process.
As Doucet was being extradited back to Louisiana to face charges, an enraged sequence of events unfolded.
Upon learning of Doucet’s impending arrival at the airport, Jody’s father Gary Plauché decided to take matters into his own hands.
Waiting at the airport with a concealed handgun, he made a call saying chillingly, “Here he comes. You’re about to hear a shot.”
True to his word, Gary confronted the disgraced karate instructor in front of live television cameras.
In an act of vigilante justice, he shot Doucet point-blank in the head, fatally wounding him.
The shooting drew a complex range of reactions.
Many in the local community expressed support for Gary’s actions as an impassioned father protecting his child.
As one airport bartender stated, “I’d a shot him, too, if he done what they say he done to my boys.”
A bystander agreed, “He’s no killer. He’s a father who done it out of love for his child, and for his pride.”
However, Jody himself stated a more nuanced view: “After the shooting happened, I was very upset with what my father did. I did not want Jeff killed. I felt like he was going to go to jail, and that was enough for me.”
While condemning Doucet’s heinous acts, Jody didn’t want him to die for his crimes.
Ultimately, Gary received a relatively light sentence of probation and community service from a judge who ruled he posed no further threat.
Jody expressed gratitude that his parents allowed him to heal at his own pace, saying “It’s not right to take someone’s life. But when someone’s that bad a person, it doesn’t bother you much in the long run.”
Despite the trauma, he pursued higher education and a career in counseling sexual assault survivors, initially concealing his own history from colleagues.
Driven by a desire to empower victims and educate the public, Jody eventually penned his memoir, aiming to shed light on the pervasive issue of sexual violence and offer guidance to parents.
Now, Jody Plauché channels his haunting past to advocate for child safety.
His book, “Why Gary Why?” offers a detailed retelling of the events, alongside crucial advice for parents on safeguarding their children.
