That transfer was supposed to end in a courtroom. It ended in front of a camera.
On March 16, 1984, Jeff Doucet arrived at the airport in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in police custody. He had been Jody Plauché’s karate instructor and had kidnapped him and taken him to California. The boy was held captive for ten days and sexually abused. Police rescued him and brought him back to Louisiana on March 1. Doucet was returning to answer for his actions.
Gary Plauché, the father, learned from television when Doucet would arrive. He went to the airport with a .38-caliber revolver and hid among some public telephones. He called a friend: “Here he comes”. Then he said: “You’re about to hear a gunshot”.
When Doucet walked past, escorted by officers, Gary stepped out from between the phone booths and shot him in the head. A news camera captured the attack. Doucet died the next day. Officer Mike Barnett shouted: “Why did you do it?”. Gary replied: “If someone did that to your son, you’d do it too”.
Jody, now an adult, said he didn’t want Doucet dead; he hoped he would rot in prison. He also said he was angry with his father. Over time, he forgave him and accepted him back into his life.
In 1985, Gary pleaded no contest to a charge of manslaughter. He received a suspended seven-year sentence, five years of probation, and 300 hours of community service. As an adult, Jody wrote a book about his case and dedicated himself to preventing child abuse. The shooting was caught on camera; Jody’s story didn’t end there.
