Murder charge dropped for Arkansas sheriff nominee who killed daughter’s
alleged abuser
[June 05, 2026]
By REBECCA BOONE
A judge on Thursday dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas man
who won the GOP nomination for sheriff while awaiting trial for the
shooting death of his teenage daughter's alleged abuser.
The ruling came weeks before Aaron Spencer, who will be on the November
ballot, had been set to face a jury on a second-degree murder charge. He
won a March primary over the local three-term sheriff whose office had
arrested Spencer in Lonoke County, which has roughly 76,000 residents
and is heavily Republican.
Spencer’s attorneys do not deny that he shot and killed Michael Fosler
in 2024, saying he did so to protect his child. Special Circuit Court
Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. granted a motion by Spencer's attorney to dismiss
the charge over a dash camera memory card that may have captured the
shooting and was lost by law enforcement.
“The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that
dismissal of this case is warranted,” Wilson wrote.
At the time of the shooting, Fosler, 67, was out on bond after being
charged with dozens of sexual offenses against Spencer’s
then-13-year-old daughter.
Court documents show on the night of the shooting, Spencer had woken up
to find his daughter missing, and later found the girl in the passenger
seat of a vehicle Fosler was driving. Spencer forced Fosler’s truck off
the road and, after an altercation, called 911 to report he had shot the
man.
Prosecutors said Spencer planned the killing and that he could have
called police while pursuing Fosler. But Spencer pleaded not guilty and
maintained he acted to protect his child from a predator.
Spencer’s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, said she is thankful for the
court’s decision.
“No member of this family should ever again be forced to walk into a
courtroom and relive this horror,” she said in a statement. “This father
should have never been charged for protecting his child.”
Spencer said he is grateful this chapter is over and that his focus is
now on his family and returning to normal life.
“There’s still work to do in Lonoke County, and I’m more committed to it
than ever,” he said in a statement. “Together we can build a safer and
stronger Lonoke County.”
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This undated photo provided by attorney Erin Cassinelli shows Aaron
Spencer, a Republican candidate for sheriff in Lonoke County,
Arkansas, who won a GOP primary March 3, 2026, defeating the
incumbent sheriff to advance to the general election despite
awaiting trial for a murder charge. (Heather Spencer/Erin Cassinelli
via AP, File)
Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham did not return
messages Thursday seeking comment on the decision.
The Associated Press typically does not identify sex abuse victims,
but Spencer has made his daughter’s experience with the criminal
justice system a central part of his campaign for sheriff, pledging
to establish a dedicated team to combat sex crimes against children.
Spencer's attorneys filed the motion seeking to have the case
dismissed, contending that video and audio of the dash camera from
Fosler's truck may have contained evidence that would have cleared
Spencer of any wrongdoing. According to court records, a detective
with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office removed the dash camera from
the truck when responding to the scene of the shooting.
But the camera's internal settings were not preserved and the
battery of the camera was allowed to drain, and as a result the
camera went back to its default settings. When the camera was sent
to the attorney general's office for a forensic exam, the memory
card that was in it when it was collected from the truck was
missing. The detective who collected the camera later admitted that
it was not logged into evidence right away, but was instead stored
in his personal office rather than the evidence room, according to
court records.
Wilson replaced the original judge handling the murder case in
January after the Arkansas Supreme Court removed Judge Barbara
Elmore from the case, finding she had issued an overly broad gag
order that violated Spencer's First Amendment rights.
—-
Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press reporter Hallie
Golden in Seattle contributed.
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