Aaron Spencer and The Most Justifiable Homicide I Have Ever Seen

If you haven't heard of the Aaron Spencer case, you're not alone — but it may soon become one of the most debated self-defense cases in recent memory.  On a quiet October evening in 2024, a father in Lonoke County, Arkansas made a horrifying discovery: his 13-year-old daughter, who had gone missing, was found in the truck of a 67-year-old man who had previously been charged with sexually assaulting and stalking her.

That father — Aaron Spencer, a military veteran — did what many parents might claim they'd do in a nightmare scenario. He rammed the vehicle, confronted the man, and moments later, the man — Michael Fosler — was dead, shot multiple times in the head and torso. Spencer later told investigators that Fosler lunged at him with an unknown object and that he feared for his life and the safety of his daughter.

What followed is a legal drama that has captivated true crime followers and raised serious questions about where the law draws the line between righteous fury and criminal liability.  Spencer was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, but his legal team says the real crime was the one committed against his daughter — and that any reasonable parent would have done the same.  As the case heads to trial, with Arkansas’s Supreme Court recently lifting a gag order on public discussion, the country is watching. Is this a case of self-defense, defense of another, or vigilante justice gone too far?

As I learn more and more about Aaron Spencer, I have searched other high profile self defense cases and I am at a loss for how the state of Arkansas is handling the Aaron Spencer case.  One such recent case was that of Raul Valle.  Valle was recently acquitted of murder, intentional manslaughter, and first-degree assault.  His jury was deadlocked on the lesser charges of reckless manslaughter and second-degree assault.  A mistrial was declared on those charges.  I summarize the case below.  

Raul Valle and several friends were invited to a house party at Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton, hosted by local teens.  Valle had a knife with him, which he claimed he often carried due to previous threats.  Prior to the party, there was tension between rival groups of students from Fairfield College Preparatory School and St. Joseph’s High School, where Valle attended.

A group including Valle arrived at the party, allegedly intending to confront someone involved in a prior dispute.  A fight quickly broke out on the front lawn. Roughly 20–25 teens were involved in a chaotic and escalating brawl.  Valle claimed that he and a friend were surrounded and attacked and that he used the knife in self-defense to protect himself and escape.  During the fight, Valle stabbed four boys:  James McGrath, 17, was stabbed in the chest and later died from his injuries.  Three others sustained non-fatal stab wounds.

This does not even compare to Aaron's case in terms of justification, in my opinion.  I cannot understand how the state of Arkansas believes it is just to try Aaron for murder.  There are so many examples where people are found not guilty that lack the justifiable reasons that Aaron had to save his daughter.