Man whose dad killed his rapist on TV and walked away free opens up about the incident
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing.
A man who saw his dad murder his rapist on live TV has opened up about his fractured relationship, feelings of seeing it and his next step in life.
When Jody Plauché began seeing his teacher daily to train at karate, his parents were thrilled that he was getting out of the house and starting something on his own.
But at just 11-years-old, the parents, didn’t know that he was being raped and abused by the man.
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25-year-old Jeff Doucet taught karate to Jody and his siblings in 1983 and nearly a year later, a terrible fate would meet the fifth grader.
Doucet groomed and raped Jody from March 1983, but on 14 February 1984 it took a turn for the unimaginable for the boy and his parents.
It was this day that Doucet was scheduled to appear in court over fraud, and in his panic, he concocted a plan to be able to leave the area and continue his campaign of abuse.
After asking Jody’s parents if he could take the boy for a 15 minute drive, the karate instructor instead drove almost 2,000 miles to motel in Anaheim, California.
After a search was conducted of the nation, police tracked Jody down on 29 February after Doucet let him use the phone to make a call to his mother.
While Jody was returned to his parents on 1 March, Doucet was transported back to Louisiana to face trial on 16 March.
Gary Plauché, Jody’s dad, found out that Doucet would be landing at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport after an employee of local ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV told him.
So, he arrived at the airport, hid his face under a baseball cap and pretended to use a payphone as he lay in wait for the teacher to pass him, along with the police and camera crews.
Moments later, with the WBRZ camera crew at the ready, the father drew out a gun and shot the teacher at point blank range in the head.
The moment, which was caught on live TV, was witnessed by Jody, who shared how he felt angry at his father for killing his abuser.
Doucet fell into a coma but later passed away, with Gary being charged with second-degree murder.
However, when Gary pleaded no contest to manslaughter, he was given a seven years' suspended sentence, five years' probation and 300 hours of community service, with no prison time served.
Jody, who has recently opened up about the ordeal shared that even though his dad became a national hero for murdering his abuser, he felt slightly depressed and emotional, and that he did not want his teacher to have died.
He also went on to write his book called Why Gary Why?: The Jody Plauché Story, which is inspired by the words police officers said to his dad moments after apprehending him at the airport.
Gary responded: "If it were your child, you would’ve done the same thing, too."
Jody told The Sun Online that he would have preferred his abuser was able to rot in jail, stating: "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 later said: "Jeff would’ve likely gone to prison for the rest of his life, but Daddy gave him the easy way out."
As for how the American people felt towards his dad, 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.
"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."
But eventually, he was able to talk to his dad about it, who told him that he believed that ‘one of them, if not both of them were gonna die that night’ and that he had ‘nothing to lose’.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–8pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays.
Topics: Crime, True crime, US News, Parenting
Britt Jones