Judge drops murder charge against Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed a man

U.S. newsJudge drops murder charge against Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed a manAn Arkansas judge dismissed Aaron Spencer’s murder case on Thursday over what he ruled was “egregious” mishandling of evidence by law enforcement.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Arkansas county sheriff candidate Aaron Spencer. The murder charge against him for killing a 67-year-old was dismissed.Provided to NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 6, 2026, 7:11 PM EDTBy Marlene LenthangA judge has dropped the murder charge against an Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed a man accused of sexually abusing his daughter.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Aaron Spencer was charged with second-degree murder in the October 2024 killing of Michael Fosler, 67, who had been charged with sexually abusing Spencer’s 13-year-old daughter.On Thursday, a judge dismissed the murder case against Spencer after ruling that the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office mishandled evidence. Law enforcement’s conduct was “so egregious” that it warranted the dismissal, Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. said in his ruling. The killing happened after Spencer discovered his daughter missing from her bedroom in the early morning hours of Oct. 8 and found her in Fosler’s truck, according to court documents. Spencer told detectives he hit the rear of the vehicle during a chase, ordered Fosler to get out and shot him after Folster lunged at him, the documents said.According to the documents, Spencer, who’d had his wife call 911 to report their daughter’s disappearance, called a second time after the killing and told a dispatcher that he’d “had no choice.”Add NBC News to GoogleArkansas man facing murder charge runs for sheriff02:12Fosler, who had been charged a month prior with 43 sexual-related offenses related to Spencer’s daughter, was out on bond at the time. Spencer said his case inspired him to run for office, and he went o...