CINCINNATI — A Hamilton County jury found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder Friday in the death of Deputy Larry Henderson, rejecting an insanity defense in a case that centered on Hinton’s mental state when he struck the deputy with a car in May 2025.
Jurors convicted Hinton of one count of murder, two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of felonious assault. On the two counts that originally charged aggravated murder, the jury returned verdicts on the lesser offense of reckless homicide.
Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced November 16 at 9 a.m. Eastern before Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, according to FOX19. A sentence had not been imposed at the time of publication.
Henderson was killed May 2, 2025, while working a traffic assignment near the University of Cincinnati during graduation activities. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office said Henderson had spent 33 years serving his community in law enforcement.
The collision happened hours after Hinton viewed police body camera footage of Cincinnati officers fatally shooting his son, Ryan Hinton, the previous day. The police shooting and the collision that killed Henderson were separate incidents.
Prosecutors argued Hinton deliberately drove toward Henderson after watching the footage and understood that his actions were wrong. Their case included witness testimony, video evidence and crash reconstruction analysis.
Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II did not dispute that Hinton’s vehicle struck and killed Henderson. He argued that Hinton’s longstanding mental illness, compounded by the trauma of his son’s death, left him unable to understand the wrongfulness of his conduct.
According to WVXU’s courtroom reporting, the defense presented evidence of schizoaffective disorder and other mental health conditions. Bennett also argued that Hinton may have been trying to harm himself when he drove toward a utility pole, rather than intentionally targeting Henderson.
Jurors heard competing expert opinions about Hinton’s mental state. Experts called by prosecutors testified that he understood the wrongfulness of his actions, while the defense maintained that he was experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms.
The death penalty had already been ruled out before trial following proceedings concerning Hinton’s serious mental illness. Friday’s verdict did not include a conviction for aggravated murder.
After the verdict, Bennett said he plans to appeal, according to WVXU.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson welcomed the verdict in a statement Friday and acknowledged the loss experienced by Henderson’s family and the community.
“We are thankful to the jury for its verdict, which accurately reflects the evidence in this case,” Wilson said.
Featured image: A still from the courtroom video supplied to VOTP News STL.
Sources: Ohio Attorney General’s Office; WCPO; WVXU; FOX19; Spectrum News.
