Judge Dismisses Murder Charges Against Arkansas Sheriff Candidate
A judge has dropped the murder charges against Aaron Spencer, a sheriff candidate in Arkansas, who was on trial for allegedly killing the man who raped his 14-year-old daughter.
On Thursday, the lawsuit against Spencer was dismissed after law enforcement misplaced a dashcam memory card that might have recorded the shooting incident involving 67-year-old Michael Vossler in October 2024.
“The court finds that the conduct of law enforcement was so egregious that it warrants dismissal of this case,” stated Special Circuit Judge Ralph Wilson Jr.
This case unfolded just weeks before Spencer was set to stand trial on second-degree murder charges for shooting Vossler as he was driving away with Spencer’s daughter. Vossler had previous charges of grooming and abuse against the girl.
Spencer discovered his then 13-year-old daughter missing around 1 a.m. and found her in Vossler’s car.
According to court documents, Spencer reportedly ran his truck off the road and shot the suspect.
Prosecutors contended that Spencer had premeditated the act and should have contacted the police instead of engaging in a dangerous chase.
Spencer, however, has pleaded not guilty, maintaining that he acted to protect his children from a predator. His attorney acknowledges that Spencer did shoot and kill Vossler, but highlights that the incident motivated Spencer to run for sheriff in Lonoke County.
“I am a father who acted to protect his daughter during a system failure,” he claimed in a video statement during his campaign.
Spencer triumphed in the Republican primary for Lonoke County sheriff in March and is anticipated to win the upcoming general election in the predominantly conservative region of east Little Rock.
“No one in this family should ever be forced to step into a courtroom again and relive this horror,” said Spencer’s attorney, Erin Casinelli, in a statement to the Associated Press.
“This father should never have been charged with protecting his child.”
