Heather Spencer, 38, defended her husband Aaron, 37, after he killed 67-year-old Michael Fosler in Arkansas. Police said Fosler had groomed, raped, and then abducted their 14-year-old daughter. He had previously been arrested but released on bond. “You kind of assume the risk when you rape children,” Heather told CNN.

The couple discovered their daughter missing and called 911 before searching for her themselves. They soon spotted Fosler’s vehicle with their child inside. Aaron forced the car off the road, confronted Fosler, and opened fire when he allegedly lunged at him. Afterward, Aaron called police and said, “He’s dead. I had no choice.”

Though initially charged with first-degree murder, prosecutors reduced Aaron’s charge to second-degree. Supporters nationwide have called him a hero, with more than 350,000 signing petitions urging his release. Heather insists her husband is a loving father who only acted to protect his child.

The case now raises a powerful question: when justice fails, what lengths should a parent go to protect family?