Leon Gary Plauché, born November 10, 1945, gained notoriety in America for fatally shooting Jeff Doucet, a convicted child molester who had abducted and se*ually assaulted Plauché’s son, Jody. The tragic incident unfolded on March 16, 1984, captured on camera by a local news crew. Plauché’s actions sparked intense debate regarding whether he should have been charged with m*rder.
Ultimately, Plauché received a seven-year suspended sentence, along with five years’ probation and 300 hours of community service. Remarkably, he avoided any prison time. The case garnered significant media attention due to the ethical quandary it presented. Plauché firmly asserted that he acted within his rights as a parent, believing that any guardian faced with a similar situation would have reacted similarly.
Kidna-pping of son by Doucet
Gary, who was originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was not living with his wife, June, when the shooting happened. Their 11-year-old son, Jody, was taking karate lessons from a 25-year-old instructor named Jeffrey Doucet in 1983 and 1984. Gary and June didn’t know that Doucet had been abusing Jody se*ually for over a year. On Valentine’s Day in 1984, Doucet kidnapped Jody and took him to a motel in Anaheim, California, where he continued to abuse him. Jody was the subject of a national search and was eventually found when Doucet let him make a phone call to his mom from the motel. The police in California arrested Doucet at the motel on February 29 without any problems. On March 1, 1984, Jody went back home to his family in Louisiana. In an interview with a TV news crew, Gary said that he felt helpless after hearing that Doucet had se*ually assaulted his son.
Doucet’s k*lling by Plauché
On March 16, 1984, Doucet was taken back to Louisiana for his upcoming trial. He landed at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport around 9:30 pm, where Plauché was present, having been informed of Doucet’s arrival time by a WBRZ-TV employee.
A WBRZ news crew was on hand, filming Doucet’s arrival, while Plauché stood nearby at a row of payphones, speaking with a friend and taking care to stay inconspicuous with a cap and sunglasses.
As Doucet walked by, passing the news crew and then Plauché, the latter shot him in the head at close range. Doucet collapsed, bleeding near his right ear. Plauché then put down the phone and was apprehended by police, who disarmed him and attended to Doucet.
The officers knew Plauché and held him against the payphones, questioning, “Gary, why? Why, Gary?” The incident was recorded on ENG videotape. Doucet slipped into a coma and passed away the next day due to the gunshot wound.
Aftermath
Plauché originally faced charges of second-degree m*rder but ultimately agreed to a plea deal where he admitted no contest to manslaughter. As part of his sentence, he received seven years’ suspended sentence, with five years of probation and completed 300 hours of community service by 1989.
Psychological evaluations played a significant role in Plauché’s defense, revealing that the victim, Doucet, had previously abused Plauché’s son. Dr. Edward P. Uzee, a psychiatrist, examined Plauché and concluded that he couldn’t distinguish right from wrong at the time of the incident. Plauché’s defense argued that he experienced a temporary state of psychosis upon learning about his son’s abuse. Additionally, it was noted that Doucet was skilled at manipulating others and exploited Plauché’s vulnerable emotional state due to his separation from his wife. Judge Frank Saia decided against sending Plauché to prison, believing it wouldn’t benefit anyone and considering him unlikely to reoffend.
The disturbing video of Plauché k*lling Doucet has been widely circulated, appearing in various television programs and documentaries, including “Traces of Death II” in 1994 and Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” in 2002. The footage has also garnered over 20 million views on YouTube, including a segment from the TV series “Anatomy of Crime” produced by John Langley.
At age 67, Plauché expressed in an interview that he stands by his actions and holds no regret for k*lling Doucet, stating he would do it again.
In August 2019, the book “Why, Gary, Why?”: The Jody Plauché Story was published by Jody. In a 2024 interview with the Mirror, Jody reflected positively on his life, describing his father as “the greatest dad of all time.”
De-ath
Plauché experienced a stroke in 2011. In 2014, he passed away at a nursing home following another stroke, at the age of 68.