An Arkansas dad faces a murder charge for killing his daughter’s alleged abuser. Now he’s running for sheriff

Heather and Aaron Spencer are seen here. "Through my own fight for justice, I’ve seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court," Spencer says in a video announcing his campaign. (Courtesy Heather Spencer via CNN Newsource)

An Arkansas father who killed his teen daughter’s alleged abuser has announced a bid for county sheriff, saying he’s running to fix a justice system that failed to protect her.

Aaron Spencer faces a second-degree murder charge in last October’s fatal shooting of a man accused of grooming and sexually assaulting his then-13-year-old daughter.

“Many of you know my story. I’m the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed …” he says in a Facebook video announcing his candidacy for Lonoke County sheriff. “And through my own fight for justice, I’ve 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 gunned down Michael Fosler on October 8, 2024, after he found him driving with his daughter after midnight despite a no-contact order. Fosler, 67, was out on bond while facing dozens of charges, including internet stalking of a child and sexual assault.

The teen had vanished from her bedroom moments earlier. Spencer said he jumped into his Ford truck and scoured the roads around their home until he spotted her in Fosler’s truck, rammed the vehicle off the road and shot him during an altercation.

“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,” Spencer said. “It’s about restoring trust where neighbors know law enforcement is on their side, and families know that they will not be left alone in a moment of need.”

Spencer, 37, pleaded not guilty but has admitted to shooting Fosler.

His trial is scheduled to start January 26, about six weeks before he’d face a March 3 primary in his campaign for Lonoke County sheriff. Spencer is running as a Republican.

And in an ironic twist, he’ll face off against the incumbent sheriff who oversaw his arrest.

‘No one seems offended by the idea’ of Spencer running, reporter says

Spencer is a farmer, a general contractor and an Army veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne and was deployed to Iraq as a paratrooper in the late 2000s.

He and his wife, Heather, live on a farm near Cabot, a city of about 27,000 people some 25 miles from the state capital of Little Rock. They also have an adult son.

Spencer’s announcement over the weekend came nearly a year to the day of the fatal shooting.

Fosler was facing 43 criminal counts, including internet stalking of a child, sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child and possession of child pornography. Heather Spencer has said the family panicked when they awoke and realized their daughter was missing.

“In that moment we realized that she may have been taken, but it’s the middle of the night and everything is happening in seconds and every second counts,” she later wrote on Facebook.

Spencer’s case captured national headlines and has sparked outrage and praise on social media among people who consider him a hero for protecting his daughter. It’s also prompted a defence fund and several petitions calling for the charges against him to be dropped, including one that has more than 360,000 signatures.

His decision to run for sheriff has drawn mostly positive reactions in the county, said Arkansas Times reporter Matt Campbell, who’s covered the case extensively.

“General consensus from the people I’ve spoken to seems to be a combination of ‘wait … what?’ and a kind of muted ‘hell yeah’ reaction,” Campbell said. “I don’t know that anyone thinks he has a chance — and if he’s convicted, he would be barred from running for or holding office in the state. But no one seems offended by the idea.”

Widespread distrust toward law enforcement in the county has worked in Spencer’s favor, Campbell added.

“Spencer’s become a cause célèbre for a lot of folks in the state. If he beats the murder charge, which is entirely possible, I don’t think it’s a stretch that he could ride that momentum and win.”

But John Wesley Hall, a veteran criminal attorney and author of “Trial Handbook for Arkansas Lawyers,” called Spencer’s campaign a bad idea. Hall, who has no connection to the case, said it’s highly unusual for a defendant to run for sheriff while awaiting a criminal trial in the same county. Hall added he wouldn’t allow it if Spencer were his client.

“No f**king way — wait for the verdict,” he said. “It will come up at trial in his cross-examination. Maybe he can handle it, maybe he can’t. Why risk it?”

A judge also could view Spencer’s campaigning as tainting the jury pool, potentially forcing the trial to move to another county, Hall said. However, he added that he’s seen plenty of high-profile cases that have still managed to find impartial jurors without being relocated.

Spencer’s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, told CNN he decided to announce his campaign now because the election filing deadline is next month.

Cassinelli said she’s not concerned about Spencer’s run for sheriff negatively affecting the trial and believes he has the “integrity, courage, compassion and strength for the job” if elected.

“The community is entitled to consider Aaron’s choices and the choices of its presently elected officials as it pertains to everything that has happened to Aaron’s family,” she added. “He and his family are just like all of the other families living in Lonoke County who want public officials they can trust, who keep them safe, and who are accountable for their actions or inactions.”

The incumbent sheriff said he didn’t seek any specific charge against Spencer

Spencer’s run for office is the latest plot turn in a case marked by a series of legal twists.

At the time of the shooting, the Spencers’ daughter was the only witness to Fosler’s sexual assault charges, Cassinelli said, and the Spencers feared she was in grave danger.

“She’s the only thing standing between him (Fosler) and life in prison,” Cassinelli said.

Spencer was arrested on a preliminary charge of first-degree murder, Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley said last October. He added that the decision to charge Spencer would ultimately rest with prosecutors, and that “I have not, nor will I, advocate for any specific charge.”

Prosecutors later reduced the charge to second-degree murder with a gun enhancement penalty, an add-on that increases the maximum potential prison sentence when a firearm is used to commit a crime.

Under Arkansas law, a second-degree murder charge involves “circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.” But unlike first-degree murder, it does not require some form of premeditation.

Staley, the county’s sheriff since 2013, has told reporters he will seek re-election in 2026 but declined to comment on Spencer’s candidacy. CNN has reached out to him and the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney for comment.

In December, a Lonoke County judge issued a gag order that banned lawyers, Spencer’s family and others connected to the case from speaking publicly about it, saying widespread media coverage could affect the jury pool.

Spencer’s attorneys challenged the decision, arguing it violated his rights. In May, the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the gag order, calling it overly broad and vague.

Spencer was released last October on a bond of $150,000. He has largely remained silent about the case, although his wife has spoken publicly about its impact on their family.

“This case has changed nearly every part of our daily lives,” Heather Spencer told CNN in August, adding that she and her husband have been heartened by support from well-wishers around the country.

“The outpouring from our community, and even from people we’ve never met, has made us feel far less alone in this battle.”

Spencer is scheduled to return to court in December ahead of his trial date in January. If convicted, he would be prohibited under Arkansas law from holding public office.

Early voting will begin February 16 in the primary election for county sheriff. The general election is November 3, 2026.

By Faith Karimi, CNN