Vigilante Justice: The Stories of Marianne Bachmeier and Gary Plauché 173

What happens when the justice system fails those it’s meant to protect? In this episode, we explore the controversial stories of Marianne Bachmeier and Gary Plauché—two parents thrust into the darkest depths of grief after their children were brutally victimized.

Marianne made headlines in 1981 when she smuggled a pistol into a German courtroom and shot the man who murdered her 7-year-old daughter, Anna. Just three years later, in Louisiana, Gary Plauché shocked the world by fatally shooting his son’s kidnapper and abuser—on live television.

Were they acts of justice—or revenge?