Fundraiser for Arkansas dad charged with murder after he killed teen daughter's kidnapper tops $52,000

A fundraising campaign has been set up for Aaron Spencer, the Arkansas father arrested for fatally shooting a man accused of abducting and raping his teenage daughter.

The GiveSendGo campaign was created by Juanita Musto, Spencer’s sister-in-law, to support Spencer and his wife, Heather. The funds will be used for their personal expenses, such as therapy and maintaining financial stability while navigating legal proceedings and fees. Spencer, 36, was charged with second-degree murder in October 2024 in connection with the death of 67-year-old Michael Fosler.

Spencer claims Fosler was a sexual predator who targeted their then 13-year-old daughter. According to the family, Fosler had groomed and raped the girl and was under a court-issued “no contact order” prior to the incident. In October 2024, the couple discovered their daughter was missing from their home. Spencer located Fosler with the child, confronted him, and the confrontation ended with Fosler being shot. Spencer was arrested and released on bail the following day.

Following the incident, the family said a gag order was issued by the judge, preventing media and state officials from commenting on the case. The order was later vacated by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The GiveSendGo page states that the gag order increased legal expenses and limited public coverage of the case.

The campaign page explains: “My purpose of opening this campaign is to help the Spencer family feel secure in some way during a very challenging, uncertain time. From the original assaults, to the night of the kidnapping, and now dealing with mistrust in the local justice system that didn’t protect their daughter (while persecuting her father, a combat veteran, who was forced to), the Spencers have a lot of trauma to work through. They have been spending hundreds of dollars a week on different therapies for their daughter and themselves, all suffering with severe PTSD from the events that have transpired. These therapies have been helpful, but they have a long road to healing ahead of them, and I would like to take as much financial burden off them as possible.”

Heather Spencer had previously attempted to raise funds on GoFundMe for legal fees, but the campaign was removed for violating the platform’s policy against raising money for individuals charged with violent crimes.