Jury Convicts Rodney Hinton Jr. of Murder in Death of Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson

A jury has found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder, felonious assault and reckless homicide in the death of Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Larry Henderson. Jurors did not convict him on the aggravated murder charges, which were the most serious options before them.

The 10-day trial centered on Hinton's state of mind on May 2, 2025. Prosecutors and the defense agreed that Hinton drove his car into Henderson, who was working a traffic detail near the University of Cincinnati. What they disputed was whether he understood what he was doing.

Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II argued Hinton was not guilty by reason of insanity. He presented evidence of Hinton's long struggle with schizoaffective disorder and other mental illnesses. Bennett said the stress of watching body camera footage of Cincinnati Police shooting and killing Hinton's son, Ryan Hinton, shortly before the crash likely pushed him into a psychotic episode.

In his closing argument Tuesday, Bennett added a new element, saying Hinton was also suicidal and may have been trying to kill himself, not Henderson, when he drove into a pole. "It's clear, by the preponderance of the evidence, that he didn't understand the wrongfulness of his conduct because of acute psychotic symptoms," Bennett said.

Hamilton County prosecutors acknowledged Hinton's mental illness and the anguish of watching his son be shot. They maintained, however, that he understood his actions and knew they were wrong, a key legal factor in an insanity defense. They also noted that the suicide theory was not raised until late in the trial. Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burroughs told jurors in her closing, "It was the defendant's purpose and specific intent to kill deputy Larry Henderson."

The state called two mental health experts, who testified that Hinton showed no signs of an acute psychotic break immediately after striking Henderson. Forensic psychologist Jennifer O'Donnell cited his demeanor right after the incident and the fact that he obeyed traffic laws while driving from a Cincinnati Police facility in Queensgate, where he had viewed the footage, to Uptown. "There are things that indicate he did understand the wrongfulness of his conduct," she testified.

Bennett countered that Hinton did not try to flee and did not deny hitting Henderson, which he said suggested Hinton may not have grasped the gravity of what he had done. Psychological experts also testified that Hinton told them he heard voices during the incident.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Jody Luebbers earlier agreed to rule out the death penalty after multiple experts testified about Hinton's mental illness at pretrial hearings. During the trial, she also allowed jurors to consider the lesser charge of negligent homicide, which carries a maximum three-year sentence. Bennett appeared to encourage that option in his closing while also urging an outright acquittal, arguing Hinton "recklessly killed Deputy Henderson while attempting to kill himself."

Hinton faces 15 years to life in prison on the murder charges, with the possibility of parole. His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 16 at 9 a.m. Bennett said he will appeal. "When I was hired by the Hinton family, I looked Rodney in the eye and told him I would fight for him," he told reporters after the verdict. "I'm not done doing that."