Man who killed his son's rapist live on TV ended up walking free

Warning: This article contains topics of child abuse and rape which some readers may find upsetting

A man who killed his son's rapist on live TV back in 1984 ended up walking free.

In February of the same year, karate teacher Jeffrey Doucet abducted Jody Plauché, 11, taking him from Louisiana to a motel in California.

Doucet then continually raped and abused Jody, 2,000 miles from his family home in Louisiana.

And it wasn't until the paedophile let Jody to make a collect call to his mom that he was eventually caught.

The young boy was subsequently returned to his family in Louisiana, while 25-year-old Doucet was flown into Baton Rouge Airport on 16 March 1984, where he was escorted by police.

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News crews were waiting for Doucet - and so was Jody's dad, Gary, who was lurking by a telephone wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

As viewers watched on at home, Gary stepped out and shot Doucet in the head from three feet away.

As he was pinned by police, one officer pleaded: "Why, Gary, why?"

Those words stuck with Jody - who watched footage of the killing 'over and over' - and they eventually formed the title of his memoir.

Doucet fell into a coma and died the next day, and Gary spent a weekend in prison following the killing.

He ended up getting a suspended sentence for manslaughter, as well as probation and community service.

Gary was widely supported by the American public over the revenge killing, but Jody felt differently about his actions.

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Speaking to The Sun in October last year, he said: "At first I was upset with what my father did because at age 11 - I just wanted Jeff to stop and not necessarily dead.

"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 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."

Indeed, his actions drove a wedge between the pair, and Gary insisted that he had no regrets about killing Doucet.

Jody said: "He told me he figured he was gonna die so he felt he had nothing to lose. He told me one of them, if not both of them were gonna die that night."

He continued: "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.

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"Being Catholic, I believe having taken a human life, his first thoughts were that he was going to hell... 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."

Gary died from a stroke in 2014. Jody, on the other hand, hoped his book would help others who are victims of abuse.

"The most important thing is to seek out the proper support. With the proper support you can work through it," he said.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673) available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org Español: rainn.org/es.