CINCINNATI, Ohio — A Hamilton County jury on Friday convicted Rodney Hinton Jr. of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in the May 2, 2025, death of Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson, rejecting Hinton’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Jurors in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court deliberated into a third day before returning the verdicts at the end of a 10-day trial. The jury of seven women and five men declined to convict Hinton, 40, of aggravated murder, finding him guilty of reckless homicide as a lesser offense on those counts, along with murder and two counts of felonious assault.
Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 16. A murder conviction in Ohio carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Reckless homicide carries up to three years.
Henderson, a retired deputy working a special traffic detail for the University of Cincinnati’s graduation, was controlling a traffic light near the university on May 2, 2025, when Hinton drove into him.
Prosecutors said Hinton deliberately steered his car at Henderson hours after he viewed Cincinnati police body camera video of the fatal shooting of his 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, by a Cincinnati police officer the day before. Henderson had no involvement in the younger Hinton’s shooting. Prosecutors said Hinton waited in a center lane for oncoming traffic to clear, then drove straight at the deputy, and that vehicle data showed the car accelerating to more than 43 mph in seconds. Hinton told a psychologist who evaluated him that he had to turn the steering wheel “a little bit to hit him,” and, asked whether he was angry at police, said, “Not him particularly.”
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich determined the officer who shot Ryan Hinton during a stolen-vehicle investigation on May 1, 2025, acted lawfully.
Hinton’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, argued that Hinton was trying to kill himself and was driving at a utility pole Henderson was standing near while experiencing a psychotic episode. Hinton has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Prosecutors said his mental illness did not prevent him from knowing right from wrong, and that the grieving father made a decision to steer the car toward the deputy. Bennett said the defense plans to appeal.
