The Public Killing of Jeff Doucet

Leon Gary Plauché publicly killed Jeff Doucet, a child molester who had kidnapped and raped Plauché's son, Jody. On March 16, 1984, Doucet was flown back to Louisiana to face trial. He arrived at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and was led in handcuffs by police officers through the airport at around 9:30 p.m., where Plauché was waiting for Doucet.

An employee of the local ABC affiliate, WBRZ-TV, had told Plauché when Doucet would be arriving at the airport. A news crew from WBRZ was waiting for Doucet and had set up their cameras to record his arrival. Opposite the news crew was a bank of payphones, where Plauché waited while talking to his best friend on a telephone. He wore a baseball cap and sunglasses so that no one would recognize him.

As Doucet was escorted through the airport, he passed the news crew who were taping the scene. He then walked past Plauché, who fired at the right side of Doucet's head at point-blank range. Doucet fell to the floor, bleeding from a wound close to his right ear.

Plauché placed the telephone receiver down before a police officer restrained him and removed the gun from his hand as the other attended to Doucet. The officers who grabbed hold of Plauché recognized him. They kept him pinned against the bank of telephones, asking him, "Gary, why? Why, Gary?" The incident was captured on ENG videotape. Doucet fell into a coma, and died from the gunshot wound the next day.

Plauché was initially charged with second-degree murder, but agreed to a plea bargain in which he pleaded no contest to manslaughter. He was sentenced to seven years suspended sentence, with five years' probation and 300 hours of community service, which he completed in 1989.