More Stories of Real Vigilantes Who Took Matters into Their Own Hands

In this world, some people have tried to get justice by taking matters into their own hands. At times, it’s a noble, moral, hard compulsion to fight when watching justice fail to succeed. Most of these real vigilantes have suffered from heinous crimes like murder or rape. Because authorities weren’t able to seek justice for them, they decided to avenge themselves or a family member. We’ve already shared some real vigilantes in our previous post which you can read here. Still, more noteworthy people deserve to be mentioned. So, here are more stories of real vigilantes.

André Bamberski

Andre Bamberski is the biological father of Kalinka Bamberski, a 14-year-old girl who died at her stepfather’s home in Germany. After examining the young girl’s body, the examiner found disturbing findings, such as a torn vagina, a whitish substance inside her, and various injection marks.

Upon hearing the news about his daughter, André Bamberski was horrified. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything because he was in France at the time of his daughter’s death. By the time he received his daughter’s autopsy reports, his daughter’s case was already closed. Still, he was sure that someone raped and murdered his daughter, and he believed it was Dieter Krombach, his daughter’s stepfather.

Dieter Krombach was a reputable doctor. When Kalinka died, Krombach was questioned by German authorities, and during that time, he admitted to injecting the young girl with a substance that would efficiently help her tan. Aside from that, he also admitted to giving sleeping pills to her.

A few months later, Krombach was publicized for injecting the young girl with other substances, such as a dangerous mixture of dopamine and Isoptin. Aside from that, it was also revealed the doctor was present during the girl’s autopsy. All of these things made it clear that the stepfather was the killer, yet, nothing was done about the situation

Enraged, André Bamberski started giving out leaflets that accused Krombach of the rape and murder of his child. He also hired lawyers who filed a complaint against the prestigious doctor in France.

André Bamberski was determined to seek justice for his daughter’s death. In 2009, he decided to take matters into his own hands by organizing a kidnapping plan in which he kidnapped Krombach in Germany and bought him to France. Afterward, he dropped the doctor off at a police station with a full explanation of what had occurred. From there, Krombach was arrested and convicted in 2011. The judge sentenced the doctor to 15 years behind bars. Unfortunately, Bambeski was also arrested and put on trial for kidnapping Krombach and was sentenced to a year of suspended jail.

The Entire Town of Skidmore, Missouri

One of the most fascinating stories of real vigilantes is about the town of Skidmore, Missouri. This vigilante story involves Ken McElroy and the residents of Skidmore.

For years, Ken McElroy was known as the “bully” of the town. After dropping out of school, he committed various heinous crimes, including theft, arson, statutory rape, and child molestation. Even though he was indicted about 21 times, he was able to dodge every conviction.

One of McElroy’s crimes was raping a 12-year-old girl. Afterward, he and his wife filed for a divorce, so he could marry the young girl to avoid a case of statutory rape. Of course, the girl’s parents objected. Then, he burned their home and shot their pet to get their approval. In 1976, McElroy also shot a farmer yet produced witnesses claiming that he was not at the crime scene that day.

In 1980, McElroy’s downfall began after he shot an elderly man. Afterward, he was charged and convicted of attempted murder; however, he appealed his case and was released.

In 1981, the residents of Skidmore discussed McElroy’s rein of terror and decided that it had to end. As such, the townspeople confronted him at the D&G Tavern. As the scene escalated in the bar, someone started shooting at McElroy.

According to reports, McElroy received multiple shots from different firearms. Eventually, he succumbed to his wounds. The residents of Skidmore, Missouri, had agreed that no one would testify in court, so no one provided any real evidence as to what happened to McElroy. As a result, the authorities weren’t able to charge anyone with McElroy’s death.

Gary Plauché

Among the various stories of real vigilantes, Gary Plauché’s case was by far the most popular, as it was caught by news cameras on live tv.

The story started in 1984 when Jeff Doucet, a karate instructor, kidnapped an 11-year-old boy named Jody Plauché. Gary and June Plauché, the boy’s parents, were worried when their son didn’t come home on February 19, 1984. That day, Doucet fled town with the child, taking him to the West Coast.

When they arrived in Anaheim, California, Doucet raped the young boy multiple times. Eventually, Doucet allowed the boy to call his parents. The authorities were able to trace the call and determined the location of the two.

On March 16, 1984, as Jeff Doucet was arriving back in town, Gary Plauché waited at the airport with a plan to kill Doucet. According to reports, he was on a pay phone, talking to a friend while waiting for Doucet’s arrival. He also warned his friend when he saw Doucet, stating, “Here he comes. You’re about to hear a shot.”

When Gary Plauché shot Doucet, the news cameras were pointed right at him, recording the crime. As a result, he was arrested and charged with murder. Fortunately, he got a lenient judge who sentenced him to seven years of suspended jail time, 300 hours of community service, and five years of probation.

Jody Plauché returned home to his family. Unfortunately, it took him years to recover from his traumatic experience. Nevertheless, he wrote about his experiences in his book entitled, “Why, Gary, Why?.”