What to Know
On October 8, 2024, Arkansas father Aaron Spencer noticed his 13-year-old daughter was missing from her bedroom. Spencer told his wife to call 911 and began looking for their child. He reportedly saw his teenage daughter in 67-year-old Michael Fosler’s truck. Spencer claimed he rear-ended Fosler and ordered him out of his vehicle. Fosler allegedly lunged at Spencer, who, in turn, shot and killed him.
Spencer made a second call to 911, telling police he had no choice and shot Fosler in self-defense. Police ultimately arrested Spencer, who faced a murder charge. While out of bond awaiting trial, he began a campaign for sheriff with a goal of stopping sexual predators. On June 4, 2026, a judge dropped the charges against Spencer, a huge victory for the father.
Evidence seemingly disappeared.
The Associated Press reported that Spencer’s team filed a motion to have the case dismissed, claiming missing dash camera footage from Fosler’s truck could have cleared him of any wrongdoing. Per court records obtained by the AP, a Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office detective reportedly removed the dash camera, failed to preserve its internal settings, and the battery drained.
The camera reverted to its default settings, and during a forensic review, the memory card was missing. The detective reported that they did not log the evidence immediately and that they stored the camera in his personal office, not in the evidence room.
Spencer never denied shooting Fosler.
According to court documents, prosecutors claimed Spencer intentionally went after vigilante justice and could have waited for law enforcement to arrive. Instead, he forced Fosler off the road, and their altercation ended in death. However, Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the murder charges against Spencer weeks before his second-degree murder trial was to begin.
According to court records, the dash camera memory card that potentially captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement. Without that evidence, there was apparently not enough of a case against Spencer to convict him of murdering Fosler.
“The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted,” Wilson wrote.
Spencer’s team felt incredibly grateful for the verdict.
Erin Cassinelli, Spencer’s attorney, felt the judge made the right decision.
“No member of this family should ever again be forced to walk into a courtroom and relive this horror,” Cassinelli said in a statement. “This father should have never been charged for protecting his child.”
Spencer added he looks forward to serving his county and fighting for children’s protection.
“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.”
Spencer’s campaign for sheriff continues.
He got right back on the campaign trail, working to make Lonoke County a better place.
“I’m grateful to the Conduit Freedom Caucus for hosting an outstanding event and bringing conservative Republican candidates together ahead of November. Their endorsement and grassroots support during the Primary meant a great deal, and I do not take it lightly. Our conversations covered two priorities that matter deeply to me: electing. conservative Republicans up and down the ballot this fall, and working with the legislature to strengthen laws that protect children and parental rights,” he wrote on Facebook.
His supporters stand by him. Aaron Spencer is on the November ballot for Lonoke County Sheriff. He would lead the same department whose detective lost the key evidence in his case.
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