An Arkansas father who said he acted to protect his teenage daughter just watched the murder case against him collapse. On Thursday, June 4, 2026, Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the second-degree murder charge against Aaron Spencer, the Army veteran, farmer, and Republican nominee for Lonoke County sheriff. Spencer had been charged in the 2024 shooting death of Michael Fosler. His attorneys acknowledge Spencer shot and killed Fosler. They maintain he acted within the law to protect his child. Fosler, 67, was out on bond at the time. He had been charged with numerous sexual offenses involving Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter. The judge did not throw the case out as a matter of convenience. He threw it out after finding serious due process problems tied to law enforcement’s handling of evidence. Wilson cited a dash camera and a missing memory card. The defense argued that the lost SD card may have captured the altercation itself. Collin Rugg posted the basics as the ruling started moving through conservative media: NEW: The murder charge against the man accused of killing a man who allegedly r*ped his teenage daughter has been dismissed. Aaron Spencer decided to run for sheriff in Lonoke County, Arkansas, after being charged with second-degree murder. In 2024, Spencer allegedly woke up… pic.twitter.com/XHpmerhoBP — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 5, 2026 The case is now about more than one night in 2024. It is about whether the same system that charged Spencer could even preserve the evidence needed for a fair trial. The Arkansas Advocate reported the judge’s finding and Spencer’s political position: A second degree murder case was dismissed against the Arkansas man who won the Republican nomination for Lonoke County sheriff as he awaited trial on the charge he killed his daughter’s accused sexual abuser. Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. cited violations of Aaron Spencer’s due process rights in his 19-page ruling dismissing the charge against Spencer. Wilson cited investigators’ handling of a dash camera and memory card that had gone missing. Wilson acknowledged the dismissal was an “extraordinary and extreme remedy.” “However, based on the totality of the circumstances and the unique, specific, and particular facts and circumstances of the case, the court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted,” he wrote. Spencer said he was grateful for the ruling and the support he had received in the community. “Neighbors here in Lonoke County, people from every part of Arkansas, and folks I’ve never met from around the world reached out, prayed for us, and refused to stay quiet,” he said in a statement. “When I couldn’t speak for myself, you spoke for me. I’ll never be able to thank you the way you deserve, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to live up to it.” Spencer won more than 53% of the vote in March’s three-person Republican primary for Lonoke County sheriff. Spencer will face Democratic nominee Brian Mitchell Sr. this fall. That is a judge saying the conduct of the people who built the case against Spencer was bad enough to torpedo the whole thing. The Associated Press also reported that Spencer’s attorneys acknowledge he shot and killed Fosler. They say he did it to protect his child. AP added that Fosler was out on bond after being charged with dozens of sexual offenses against Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter. Fox News Digital, carried by WHMI, reported that the judge ruled the lost or destroyed SD card impaired Spencer’s ability to defend himself and his right to a fair trial. This is also a campaign story. Spencer won the Republican nomination after running against the local sheriff whose office arrested him. The Arkansas Supreme Court had already intervened earlier in the case. AP reported that the court removed a prior judge and found an overly broad gag order had violated Spencer’s First Amendment rights. The bottom line is hard to miss. A father said he stepped in to protect his daughter, prosecutors tried to put him on trial, and a judge has now refused to let the case stand after evidence handling blew up in court. For Lonoke County voters, that ruling lands right in the middle of a sheriff’s race built around one question: who can actually be trusted to protect families? This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.