When Jody Plauché was ten years old, his parents enrolled him in karate classes. The coach, Jeff Doucet, was good friends with Jody’s father, Gary Plauché.
Jody’s parents believed he would learn a useful life skill, but they were unaware that his time learning karate would turn out to be the darkest period of his life and fundamentally change the course his family would take.
Following his torture of Jody, Jeff kidnapped him and took him to Port Arthur, Texas, before moving to Los Angeles. He was discovered by officials a week later.
“He had already been testing the boundaries, and it was over several months before he ever started to do anything,” Jody recounted as an adult. “In addition to me, he had begun grooming my family. Pedophiles are really good at what they do. As part of the grooming process, they will push the child’s limits.
“Jeff would touch around my legs and say, ‘We need to stretch,'” he continued. He could then say, “It was an accident; we were just trying to stretch,” if he took hold of my privates in this way. Or he might claim, “Oh, I didn’t mean to,” after putting his hand on my lap while we were driving. I didn’t know I had hands. That’s the type of slow, serene seduction.
One of the people who couldn’t get over what had happened to Jody was her father, Gary. After everything Jeff had done to his son, he couldn’t bear to let him live, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Gary put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and headed to the Baton Rouge Metro Airport in Louisiana on February 19, 1984, thinking his son’s rapist would exit the building at that point. Gary was speaking to someone on the phone, maybe a friend named Jimmy, when he muttered, “Here he comes.” There will soon be a shot.
Gary drew his gun and shot Jeff in the ear, killing him instantly. The entire incident was caught on camera by news reporters at the time.
Deputy Mike Barnett asked, “Gary, why?” after recognizing Gary Plauché. The question was, “Gary, why?” shortly after the shooting was seen on TV.
Speaking out about his father’s conduct years after the murder, Jody remembered, “After the shooting happened, I was very upset with what my father did.” It was not my intention for Jeff to die. “I was satisfied that he was going to be put in jail,” The Advocate said.
“My dad was just too strict.” He used to say, “If anyone ever touches my kid, I’ll kill him.” I had no doubt that he wasn’t kidding. This prevented me from telling anyone. And in the end, he accomplished just that,” Jody told ESPN.
Gary was brought before the court and placed on probation for five years. Except for the time he was awaiting trial, Gary never spent any time in jail.
In an interview with Yahoo, Gary was asked if he regretted killing his son’s rapist. He said, “No regrets.”
In his book Why Gary Why?, Jody, who is currently in his forties, explores strategies that parents can use to keep their children safe. He also works as a sexual assault counselor.
“It is what it is,” Jody said. “I’ve come to terms with my experiences and who I am. That’s why I wrote the book. Again, it’s nothing to do with what Daddy did or me. It’s about helping people and teaching them.
Gary Plauché passed away in 2014.
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