Man who killed daughter’s alleged rapist running for sheriff

An Arkansas man accused of taking the law into his own hands by killing his daughter’s alleged rapist is now trying to become the chief law enforcement officer in the county in which his case remains ongoing.

Aaron Spencer, 37, stands accused of second-degree murder in the October 2024 death of 67-year-old Michael Fosler in Lonoke County, Arkansas. As his legal battle plays out, he decided to start a new chapter: a campaign for Lonoke County Sheriff.

“Hello Lonoke, my name is Aaron Spencer,” he said in a video announcing his candidacy. “Many of you know my story. I’m the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed.”

The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting unfolded Oct. 8, 2024, as deputies were initially responding to a home on Highway 236 East following a report of a missing child that afternoon. A short time later, investigators learned that Aaron Spencer allegedly shot and killed Fosler during a “confrontation” after Spencer found his daughter “in a vehicle” with Fosler.

Spencer, a farmer and military veteran, is out on bond as the case goes through the legal process. He said the criminal justice system has failed him.

“I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures,” he said. “… 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 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.”

It’s unclear whether Spencer officially filed paperwork for his candidacy.

As Law&Crime previously reported, Spencer’s wife Heather started a GiveSendGo campaign and revealed the couple’s then 13-year-old daughter several months prior was allegedly “targeted, groomed and ultimately raped by the boyfriend of a family friend” — Fosler — after he got the child’s phone number. Though Fosler faced pending felony charges and reportedly a “no contact order,” he nonetheless contacted the minor victim while he was out on bond, per Heather.

“We let the justice system do its job. The monster who hurt our child was charged quickly, but released even faster on a $50k bond. He was awaiting court in December for several felonies in relation to what he did to our child,” the mother said.

Calling her husband a “hero,” Heather Spencer said the arrest was “outrageous.” She said the 911 call to report their daughter missing was made after they woke up to the sound of the girl’s dog barking.

“This is unusual and caused us to check on her. In that moment we lived every parents biggest fear as we realized our teen child was missing,” Heather’s post said. “We frantically searched our home/property and started calling friends, family, and 911. My husband immediately got into his truck to go blindly searching for our child.”

Heather said that her husband managed to find Fosler “driving on our road with our minor child in the vehicle” and a collision followed.

“As soon as the predator knew my husband was behind him, he ran. The chase ended in an accident. Aaron was able to retrieve our child alive, but in the process he was attacked and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child,” the mother said. “He is now facing an outrageous murder 1 charge.”

“I have no doubt our child would have not come home if my husband hadn’t found her,” she added.

In a follow-up video two days after the shooting, Sheriff John Staley called the case a “tragic situation” and said his “thoughts and prayers are with all of those involved.”

Staley noted that it will be up to the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to decide whether or not to actually file charges against Spencer.

In separate remarks to USA Today, Staley said Spencer’s arrest does not mean that the sheriff’s office is backing a predator.

“We’re in consultation with the prosecuting attorney about what to do in this preliminary stage,” Staley reportedly said. “All my deputies and investigators knew at that time is there’s a deceased man, a 14-year-old that was in the truck with him, and a dad saying ‘Hey, I stopped him for this.'”