Aaron Spencer wins primary race for sheriff as he awaits his murder trial in Arkansas

By Faith Karimi

(CNN) — Aaron Spencer won the Republican primary for county sheriff in central Arkansas as he awaits his murder trial in a case that’s drawn national attention and shaped much of his campaign message.

Spencer got 53.5% of the vote, while longtime incumbent John Staley received 26.5% in the Lonoke County race, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State.

Staley conceded in a Facebook message posted early Wednesday morning. A third Republican candidate, David Bufford, received almost 20% of the vote.

In this politically conservative county where Donald Trump won almost 76% of the vote in 2024, Spencer’s victory makes him the potential frontrunner heading into the November general election.

But he also faces second-degree murder charges in a trial that will likely be held before then. His trial was scheduled to begin in January but was postponed and a new date has not been set.

The case stems from the October 2024 fatal shooting of a 67-year-old man who was out on bail after being charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter. Spencer has admitted to killing the man but has pleaded not guilty.

Spencer, 37, surprised the county by announcing his run for sheriff last fall, nearly a year to the day after the shooting. Tuesday’s primary victory creates an unusual scenario by positioning Spencer to become sheriff of the county that charged him with murder.

Neither Spencer nor his campaign had commented on the election returns as of dawn Wednesday. But in an interview with CNN last month Spencer said he “did what any good father would do” on that night in 2024 and felt compelled to run to protect victims of child sexual abuse.

“I saw all the things that were happening. Not with just my own case, but with other people that reached out and shared their stories (of abuse),” he told CNN. “I felt called to do it. I was struggling with sitting (it) out … and not doing something.”

Spencer’s prosecution has sparked outrage on social media and led to several petitions calling for the charges against him to be dropped. It’s also prompted conversations across Arkansas and beyond about a parent’s legal limits in protecting their child.

Some voters in county told CNN last month that they supported Spencer’s efforts to help change a legal system they believe failed his family, while others said they worried about the impact of taking justice into one’s own hands.

“Being a parent myself, I can understand how (he) felt when his daughter was going through what she was going through,” Cabot resident Lia Bell said.

“But … he’s charged with murder. As a law enforcement officer, I don’t want somebody that’s gonna be trigger happy … I want somebody that’s gonna take the emotion out of it and follow the law in every circumstance.”

Spencer has said he discovered his daughter missing from her room after midnight on October 8, 2024. He said he jumped into his truck and scoured the nearby roads until he spotted her with the man in a vehicle and shot him after a confrontation.

In an interview with CNN last month in Cabot, Arkansas, Spencer said he could not speak in detail about his ongoing criminal case.

“I did what any good father would do, just save and protect their child, that’s going to definitely show in our strong legal defense,” he said.

The alleged abuser, Michael Fosler, was facing 43 criminal counts in the teen’s case, including internet stalking of a child, sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child and possession of child pornography.

Fosler had been released on a $50,000 bail and ordered not to have any contact with Spencer’s daughter as he awaited trial. Spencer has argued the amount was too low for someone accused of multiple counts of child abuse.

Spencer told CNN he realized his run for office caught many people off-guard but said he’s not trying to sway the legal system.

Before his daughter’s sexual abuse, he said, he had no interest in
politics. It took him weeks to win his family’s support to run for office while preparing for trial, he said.

“They were like, ‘you’re crazy, why would we do this? We already have enough going on,’ ” he told CNN last month. “This was not a calculated step. I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement. I’m a man of character. I can’t sit here and watch other neighbors and friends go through this same thing, because I know how hard it is to go through it.”

The current sheriff, who’s been in law enforcement for over two decades, said he understood Spencer’s instinct to protect his daughter but criticized his lack of experience.

“This job isn’t something you learn just by showing up,” Staley told CNN in the days before the election.

But Spencer, who served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and deployed to Iraq as a paratrooper in the late 2000s, has said a sheriff’s key role is leadership.

“It is to manage facilities and equipment. It’s to lead people. I’ve done that in the military. I’ve done that in the private sector,” he said.

In his concession statement on Facebook, Staley said he’s proud of the work his team has done.

“Tonight, the voters made their decision, and I respect the decision, ” he wrote. “Serving as your sheriff for the past 13 years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Spencer’s trial, originally scheduled for late January in Lonoke County, was postponed earlier this year after the Arkansas Supreme Court recused the original judge at the defense’s request. A retired judge has taken over the case, with a hearing scheduled in two weeks to select a new trial date.

Spencer said he thinks about every potential legal outcome. “I’m as prepared as anyone can be. I just take it day by day,” he said.

If Spencer is found guilty of murder, the county’s Republicans would need to pick a new nominee for sheriff, Staley told CNN last month.

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