Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
Back in the 1980s, Mikey Plauché’s dad killed his brother’s karate instructor live on TV. And over 40 years later, he shared an important detail about the shooting.
Gary Plauché is hailed a hero by many for killing Jeffrey Doucet while his other son, Jody, said he ‘cannot and will condone’ his deadly actions.
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It all went down on 16 March 1984 when Gary waited in a disguise while Doucet arrived at Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Aiport under police escort.
The father then shot Jody’s abuser as a host of news crews anticipated and filmed his arrival. As people watched on live on TV, Doucet ended up in a coma before he died the following day.
Why did Gary Plauché shoot Jeffrey Doucet?
The karate teacher abducted Jody in February 1984, after spending a year ‘grooming’ the entire family.
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Just 11 years old at the time, he said it was ‘textbook paedophilia’ leading to him being ‘abused almost every day’ before the kidnapping.
Jeffrey fled the state of Louisiana with the boy, driving him to a motel in California. After a two-week nationwide search, police eventually burst into the room and Jody was returned to his family.
And when Doucet was flown back, Gary had disguised himself in a baseball cap and sunglasses amongst news crews at the airport.
Then, right as the abuser walked past the cameras, he pulled out a gun and shot the 25-year-old in the side of his head at close range.
Gary spent a weekend in prison over the killing, but ended up getting a suspended sentence for manslaughter, as well as probation and community service.
What did Jody Plauché say about Jeffrey Doucet's shooting?
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While some praised Gary as a hero for killing the abuser, Jody later revealed he would have preferred to see his abuser face justice in the legal system.
"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 told the Daily Mail. "I understand why he did it, absolutely.
"And I know my dad, and when he said he would kill anyone who touched me, I knew he’d kill him. But I cannot and will not condone his behaviour.
"To this day, Jeff going to jail for the rest of his life is still my preferred sentencing for him."
Gary died in 2014, as Jody said he had forgiven him and they barely spoke about Doucet again. He explained he had kept quiet about the abuse as a child because he didn’t want to ‘upset’ his parents.
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"Maybe if I’d told them right at the start, then maybe Daddy wouldn’t have killed Jeff," he added. "Once my dad found out all the things he’d done to me and made me do to him, that was the line that drove my dad over the edge, I think - it was those details."
What Jody's brother said
As one X account shared the infamous shooting video for Father’s Day yesterday (15 June), Mikey said the ‘cool thing’ about it is his dad as he was being hailed 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 wrote. “He was 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.”
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Mikey also reposted other images of the shooting with the caption: "Happy Father's day to the dads who would do anything for their children."
And Jody also backed up this TV worker detail as one user asked: "One thing I always wondered and want to believe is that your Dad had inside help from the feds. I mean no smartphones, no internet..."
The son explained: "The TV station told him he used to work there."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: True Crime
Jess Battison