Tragic Story of Jody Plauché: A Childhood Disrupted
In the autumn of 1982, 10-year-old Jody Plauché was a fifth-grader in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received a flyer at school offering karate classes but tossed it aside, uninterested. His younger brother Mike brought the flyer home, leading their mother June to sign them both up, along with their older brother, Bubba. They started classes in January 1983 with a new instructor named Jeff Doucet.
Jody and his brothers quickly became fond of Doucet, who soon became a regular guest during family game nights. “He felt like part of the family,” Jody recalls. However, this relationship took a dark turn when Doucet began to sexually abuse Jody during karate sessions. Jody said the inappropriate touching started slowly under the pretense of stretching.
The abuse escalated as Doucet manipulated situations to isolate Jody, sending other boys out for snacks while keeping him behind. Jody, now 53, remained silent about the abuse, fearing it would hurt his parents if he spoke out.
The situation became critical in March 1984 when Doucet kidnapped Jody, taking him to California. His parents alerted the authorities, and the FBI eventually found them in a motel. Following the incident, tests confirmed that Jody had been sexually assaulted.
On March 16, 1984, Doucet was brought back to Baton Rouge to face charges. Jody’s father, Gary, waited at the airport with a revolver. When Doucet arrived, Gary shot him, leading to chaos captured by local news cameras. When questioned, Gary defended his actions, saying that any parent would have reacted similarly.
Though he was charged with second-degree murder, Gary later pleaded no contest to manslaughter. He received probation and community service, painting and maintaining a local church and school.
Years later, Jody reflected on his father’s choice, advising other parents to avoid taking justice into their own hands. He believed that victims of abuse often just want the perpetrator to stop rather than seeking revenge.
Jody eventually reconciled with his father. In a heartfelt moment, he told Gary he forgave him, leading to a brief discussion about the events. Gary, who passed away in 2014, expressed his love but did not elaborate much.
Today, Jody is a passionate advocate for child abuse survivors. In 2019, he published a memoir titled Why, Gary, Why?, encouraging others who have been through similar experiences to find strength and move forward.
