Gary Plauche’s son shares new detail about dad’s infamous vigilante killing

The son of a man who shot a child rapist on live TV has revealed new details about the infamous 1984 killing that turned his father into a cult hero.

The son of a vigilante dad who shot a child rapist on live TV has revealed new details about the infamous 1984 killing that turned his father into a cult hero.

Gary Plauche gunned down Jeffrey Doucet, 25, as he was escorted through Baton Rouge Airport on March 16, 1984, to face trial for the kidnapping and sexual assault of 11-year-old Jody Plauche.

Doucet, a karate instructor, had been secretly abusing the boy for at least a year before he kidnapped him and took him across the country to California, where he was further molested.

Following a two-week nationwide search, California police raided the motel in Anaheim on February 29, rescuing Jody and arresting Doucet, who was flown back to Louisiana to face charges.

Gary Plauche infamously gunned down Jeffrey Doucet in front of TV cameras. Picture: YouTube

With a news crew from local ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV waiting in the airport to film Doucet’s arrival, Mr Plauche — wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to disguise his identity — stood with his back turned speaking to his best friend at a bank of payphones opposite.

As Doucet passed, Mr Plauche spun around and shot him through the side of the head.

“Gary, why?” an officer asked as he was arrested.

Mr Plauche spent the weekend in jail, but ultimately served no prison time.

A second-degree murder charge was downgraded to manslaughter and he was given a suspended sentence with probation and community service, with the judge finding there was “virtually no risk” he would commit another crime and incarceration would not “serve any useful purpose”.

The father of four, who died in 2014 aged 68, was hailed by some as a “hero” for his actions and is often the subject of Father’s Day appreciation posts online.

Jody’s brother, Mikey Plauche, took to X on Sunday to share new details about the incident.

Gary Plauche was speaking with his best friend on the payphone before the killing. Picture: X

“The cool thing about that [sic] is my father,” he responded to one viral post hailing Mr Plauche as “the best dad in the world”.

“My brother was the one kidnapped, but my father used to work for the same TV station. He was (a) cameraman so he knew when the camera came on he followed the light from the camera so he just followed the light that’s when he knew when to turn around and shoot.”

Jody Plauche, who has since become an outspoken advocate for child abuse victims and published a memoir in 2019 called Why, Gary, Why?, also shared his own Father’s Day photo of his dad with his best friend.

“My dad, Gary Plauche and his best friend, Jim ‘Stinkey’ Adams … this is the man he was talking to before he hung up the phone,” he wrote.

Mr Plauche maintained until his death that he did not regret killing Doucet and would do it again.

Jody has previously stated that he did not agree with those calling his dad a “hero”.

“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,” he said in a 2021 interview with The Sun.

“My dad did what everybody says what they would do yet only few have done it. Plus, he didn’t go to jail. That said, I cannot and will 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.”

Jody Plauche says he understands his dad’s actions but does not agree he was a ‘hero’. Picture: X

Jody recalled the moment he saw the video of his dad gunning down his abuser on a 6pm news bulletin.

“I had already looked at the paper, something I was told not to do,” he said. “It was almost as if it wasn’t real.”

He even recorded the footage on a VHS tape and would watch it “over and over” — becoming obsessed with it as he attempted to process what happened.

Jody said he was first told about what happened by his mum the next morning.

“Last night, daddy shot Jeff,” his mum told him.

Jody said he remembered actually feeling upset and bursting into tears at the time, “mad” that his dad had killed Doucet.

“At first I was upset with what my father did because at age 11 — I just wanted Jeff to stop and not necessarily dead,” he said.

The shooting initially put a fracture in the father-and-son relationship.

In fact, as part of the abuse, Doucet had been attempting to drive the pair apart in a twisted act to prove the boy “loved him more” as he was “jealous”.

But eventually things did get back to normal and Mr Plauche explained his actions to his son.

“He told me he figured he was gonna die so he felt he had nothing to lose,” Jody said.

“He told me one of them, if not both of them were gonna die that night. It took a few months before things got back to normal. As far as regret, of course he regrets the whole thing happened but he never regretted his action.”

Jody said his father, being Catholic, believed that “he was going to hell” for having taken a human life “and he was OK with that”.
“But the local priest washed his feet and gave his absolution and forgiveness from God so I think that helped him mentally deal with the event,” he said.

— with The Sun

Originally published as Gary Plauche’s son shares new detail about dad’s infamous vigilante killing