Featured Image Credit: WBRZ
Topics: Sexual Abuse, News, US News, Crime, True crime
Niamh Shackleton
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing.
A father who killed a man who 'raped and kidnapped' his son doubled down on what he did when asked about it years later.
In the 1980s, then-elementary school student Jody Plauché was subjected to years of grooming and sexual abuse from his karate teacher, Jeffrey Doucet.
Doucet kidnapped the young boy in February 1984, taking Jody to a motel in Anaheim, California.
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Jody was missing for two weeks before police tracked him and Doucet down after his abuser allowed Jody to call his mother from the motel he was being held at.
By March 1, Jody had been reunited with his family and Doucet was in police custody.
He was transported back to Louisiana to face trial for his alleged crimes, but Doucet never made it in front of a judge.
When he arrived at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, he was shot in the head and ended up in a coma. He died from his injuries the following day.
As for who shot him, it went on to be revealed that it was Jody's father, Gary Plauché.
Doucet's arrival was being filmed by local news channel WBRZ, when Gary (who was trying to conceal his identity) was seen wearing a cap and pretending to be on the phone.
The camera crew then caught the moment that Gary fired at Doucet and the criminal fell to the ground.
A police officer was quick to identify the father and rushed over to him and said: "Why, Gary?! Why?!"
Despite being responsible for Doucet's death, Gary never served any time behind bars.
The father had initially been charged with second-degree murder, but he agreed to a plea deal which saw him plead no contest to manslaughter.
As part of the deal, Gary was sentenced to seven years' suspended sentence, with five years' probation and 300 hours of community service, which he completed in 1989.
When asked about the killing while appearing in an ESPN special report, Gary maintained that he would do it all over again and had no regrets.
Last year, Jody opened up on how he's doing following his traumatic experience as a child.
"I wouldn't trade my life," he told The Mirror. "Knowing how it turned out, I wouldn't trade it in for anything."
Jody has dedicated a lot of his adult life to activism and raising awareness about child sexual exploitation.
He decided to do this after Baton Rouge sheriff told him that one of his interviews on a talk show in 1991 inspired another young boy to come forward and detail the abuse he'd endured at the hands of his local pastor.
"That's the moment where I decided that I'm going to keep raising awareness. I'm going to keep speaking out, and hopefully, I can make a difference," Jody said.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or 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.