Donations for an Arkansas man named Aaron Spencer, 36, poured in online this week, after Spencer was arrested for killing 67-year-old Michael Fosler, whom Spencer found with his missing 14-year-old daughter.
According to a Facebook post from Spencer’s wife, the family had a no-contact order out against Fosler for allegedly stalking their daughter over the summer. Back in July, Fosler was reportedly arrested by another agency for internet stalking of a child and sexual assault.
“This man had a no contact order for stalking/graping (sic) our child,” Heather Spencer said in the Facebook post. “We absolutely called 911 during the entire event. We had no idea this man was in contact with our child again.”
“He was looking at the rest of his pathetic life in jail, and our daughter was the only witness,” the post continued. “We 100% in the moment thought he had taken her to kill her.”
Spencer, who’s been released since posting bond, was arrested on a preliminary charge of first-degree murder, which is a Class Y felony, and booked into Lonoke County Detention Center, Fox News reported this week.
Defense lawyers told Fox they suspect Spencer will see his charges reduced based on the circumstances of the incident.
When the public heard about Spencer’s arrest, more than $100,000 in donations reportedly poured in through a GoFundMe account for legal expenses. However, the platform reportedly pulled the fundraiser without explanation.
“Our GoFundMe me was removed and people are being issued refunds,” Heather Spencer said. “If you donated I apologize I have no idea why this is happening.”
A GiveSendGo account was then created for Spencer. Currently, the account is closed, but offers the following message:
Words cannot express how deeply appreciative we are for the support coming in all over the world. We have reached far beyond our goal in less than a week. The rest of our fundraising will be done through Gun Owners of Arkansas and will be pinned across all socials. Update will follow soon. Please continue to share our story far and wide. Thank you and God bless you all.
Gun Owners of Arkansas, a nonprofit, now has a fundraiser for Spencer, but it’s unclear how much has been raised.
“After conducting research and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident involving Mr. Aaron Spencer, Gun Owners of Arkansas has concluded that he was justified in his actions under Arkansas Self Defense Law, despite being preliminarily charged with first-degree murder,” the group said. “We have mobilized our Defense Fund Account to support a fellow gun owner.”
Heather Spencer said online that her daughter is a “victim” and “prayers” are holding her family together.
“At the end of the day, our daughter is a victim and we have a long road of recovery for everyone,” she wrote. “We are so thankful for all the calls, messages and prayers. Despite the legal stuff, our family has been through something we don’t wish on anyone. Please keep us in your prayers, if you can donate, great, but prayers are holding us together right now.”
