‘My fight for justice’: Dad who shot alleged child predator to protect daughter runs for sheriff while awaiting murder trial

An Arkansas dad who’s charged with second-degree murder for killing a man who allegedly abused his daughter is now running for Lonoke County Sheriff.

Yes, you read that right. Aaron Spencer, a 37-year-old military veteran, kicked off his campaign this week, claiming that his whole struggle to protect his 14-year-old girl showed him exactly where law enforcement and the courts are “dropping the ball” in the justice system. I honestly can’t believe the layers in this story, but you can’t deny the sheer guts it takes to jump into a political race while you’re literally awaiting a murder trial.

According to TMZ, Spencer is facing A second-degree murder charge and a firearm enhancement for the shooting death of 67-year-old Michael Fosler last year. The whole situation is complicated and, frankly, awful. Fosler was already out on a $50,000 bond, having been charged with a shocking number of crimes; more than 40 child sex crime charges, including sexual assault and sexual indecency, all involving Spencer’s daughter.

The girl was reportedly just 13 at the time of the fatal incident. To be fair, a man facing that many charges against a minor being free on bond is a huge red flag, and it perfectly highlights the kind of systemic failures Spencer is now trying to run against. We’ve seen awful stories about child predators, but not many end like this.

Man who killed a pedophile is running for sheriff to protect more kids

The night of the shooting was a parent’s worst nightmare. Court documents state that on October 8, Spencer’s daughter was reported missing around 1 AM. While deputies were en route, Spencer himself found his girl in Fosler’s truck. What happened next is a moment of pure, desperate action: Spencer reportedly forced Fosler’s truck off the highway.

A confrontation ensued, and before law enforcement even arrived on the scene, Spencer had shot Fosler, who was pronounced dead right there. He was later charged with second-degree murder, though he was released on a surety bond. The reason Spencer is stepping into the political ring is crystal clear: he believes the system failed his daughter, and he wants to be the one to fix it.

His “fight for justice” has become his platform. He’s focusing on the failures of law enforcement he personally experienced, essentially arguing that if the system worked as it should, he wouldn’t have been put in a situation where he felt he had to take matters into his own hands. The story is a dramatic, real-world example of how sometimes the law doesn’t protect the most vulnerable.

Spencer’s campaign video blew up on Facebook, and he’s clearly lining up plenty of votes. His wife, Heather, started an online fundraiser after his arrest, explaining that their daughter had been “targeted, groomed, and ultimately raped by the boyfriend of a family friend.” It sounds like a lot of people in the community see him as a heroic father, not a criminal.

Spencer’s defense lawyers, Erin Cassinelli and Michael Kaiser, stated they’re confident the community will side with Spencer “because every one of them would have done the same thing for their child or their neighbor’s child or member of their family.” That’s a strong opinion, but it speaks to the raw emotional connection the public has to this case.