An Arkansas father facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting his daughter’s accused rapist announced Friday that he is entering the race for sheriff in Lonoke County.
Aaron Spencer revealed his campaign plans in a video shared to Facebook, describing his candidacy as a mission to “restore trust” in local law enforcement.
“I’m the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed,” Spencer said in the video.
“Through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court. And I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures.”
Spencer said his run is not about personal redemption but about reforming a system he believes has lost the confidence of the people.
“This campaign isn’t about me; it’s about every parent, every neighbor, every family who deserves to feel safe in their homes and safe in their community,” he said.
“It’s about restoring trust, where neighbors know law enforcement is on their side and families know they will not be left alone in a moment of need.”
According to court filings, Spencer faces charges of second-degree murder and a firearm enhancement in connection with the death of 42-year-old Michael Fosler.
Fosler, who was out on bond after being charged with sexually assaulting Spencer’s 14-year-old daughter, was killed in an incident that investigators say stemmed from a confrontation between the two men.
Authorities allege that Spencer found his daughter inside Fosler’s vehicle, forced it off the road, and then confronted him.
The altercation escalated, and Spencer allegedly shot Fosler, who died at the scene.
Police affidavits obtained by CNN state that Spencer told officers Fosler had kidnapped his daughter and “lunged toward him” after being told to get out out of the truck.
Spencer reportedly told police that he “had no choice,” but to shoot Folser.
Spencer’s arrest came in October 2024, following months of legal disputes over Fosler’s alleged violations of a no-contact order.
Local 12 reported that Fosler had been accused of stalking and raping the teen over the summer and that the girl’s mother feared he might try to kill her.
At the time of his death, Fosler was reportedly facing as many as nine felony charges related to sexual offenses against the child.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley told USA Today that Fosler had been arrested earlier that year by another agency on charges including stalking a minor and sexual assault, then released on a $50,000 bond.
Court records cited by THV11 indicate that Fosler faced two counts each of internet stalking of a child, fourth-degree sexual assault, and sexual indecency with a child, as well as 36 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Spencer’s wife, Heather, created a crowdfunding campaign after her husband’s arrest, defending his actions and calling the charges against him “outrageous.”
In her online statement, she wrote that the man who “targeted, groomed and ultimately raped” their daughter should never have been released on bond.
She said her husband’s actions likely saved their daughter’s life. “My child would have not come home if my husband hadn’t found her,” Heather wrote on Facebook.
She said the couple had repeatedly reported Fosler’s contact with their daughter to police but had not realized he was again in contact with her before the fatal encounter.
“We absolutely called 911 during the entire event,” she said. “We had no idea this man was in contact with our child again.
“He was waiting 6-9 felonies for what he did, not 2. He was looking at the rest of his pathetic life in jail, and our daughter was the only witness.”
Heather accused the sheriff’s department of affording Fosler more privacy than their family received.
“Some things we will never know, but we know that the police department afforded this predator privacy they did not give our family,” she wrote.
“I’m deeply offended by the way this was handled by the county sheriff’s office.”
Sheriff Staley responded that he sympathizes with the family but said the investigation must determine whether the shooting was justified.
“I absolutely do not support predators,” he said. “I’m a daddy. I have three daughters. I know she’s hurt right now, but there’s absolutely nobody I would put ahead of our children, their children, my children.”
“When we get on scene and there’s a homicide, it means one person took the life of another,” Staley added.
“It’s either justified or not justified. That’s what the fact-finding, that’s what the investigation is going to find out.”
Investigators continue to piece together the events that led to Fosler’s death while the case proceeds through the court system.
According to KATV, Spencer’s pretrial hearing is set for December 16, with the trial scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026.
