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LONOKE, Ark. — <\/span>A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas sheriff nominee who was accused of killing his teenage daughter\u2019s alleged abuser in 2024.<\/p>\n Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the case against Aaron Spencer Thursday afternoon \u2014 just a few weeks before his trial on the second degree murder charge was expected to begin \u2014 because a dash camera memory card that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted,\u201d Wilson wrote.<\/p>\n Spencer\u2019s attorneys did not deny that he shot and killed Michael Fosler, 67, while Fosler was out on bond after being charged with dozens of sexual offenses against Spencer\u2019s then-13-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n Court documents show on the night of the shooting, Spencer had woken up to find his daughter missing, and later found the girl in the passenger seat of a vehicle Fosler was driving. Spencer forced Fosler\u2019s truck off the road and after an altercation called 911 to report he had shot the man.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said Spencer planned the killing and that he could have called police while pursuing Fosler. But Spencer pleaded not guilty, and maintained he acted to protect his child from a predator.<\/p>\n Spencer\u2019s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, said she is thankful for the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n \u201cNo member of this family should ever again be forced to walk into a courtroom and relive this horror,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cThis father should have never been charged for protecting his child.\u201d<\/p>\n The Associated Press typically does not identify sex abuse victims, but Spencer has made his daughter\u2019s experience with the criminal justice system a central part of his campaign for sheriff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n