An Ohio jury convicted Rodney Hinton Jr. of murder for running down a retired sheriff’s deputy, hours after Hinton watched police video of his own son being shot and killed.
Story Highlights
- Jurors found Hinton guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in the death of Deputy Larry Henderson.
- They rejected his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and did not convict him of the more serious aggravated murder charges.
- Prosecutors said Hinton drove at Henderson on purpose after watching body camera video of police shooting his son. Their crash expert, using data from the car’s own computer, testified that the steering wheel turned very hard in three-tenths of a second, keeping the deputy in the car’s path as he tried to get away. “It’s not accidental,” he told jurors.
- Sentencing is set for November 16, and his lawyer plans to appeal.
A Murder Verdict On The Third Day
A Hamilton County jury reached its verdict on Friday, October 23, on the third day of deliberations. Hinton, 40, was found guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault. Felonious assault is Ohio’s charge for causing serious harm to someone, or using a deadly weapon, such as a car, to hurt them. Jurors decided that Hinton meant to hit and kill Henderson.
The crash happened on May 2, 2025. Henderson had retired after 33 years as a deputy but still worked as a special deputy. He was directing traffic near Burnet Woods, a park beside the University of Cincinnati, for a graduation ceremony. Hours earlier, Hinton had watched body camera video of a Cincinnati police officer fatally shooting his son, Ryan Hinton. That shooting was later ruled justified, and officials said Ryan had a semi-automatic gun with an extended magazine. Prosecutors argued that Hinton saw Henderson’s uniform, reacted to losing his son and chose to kill an officer.
Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II said he was disappointed with the verdict. He said he believes the video of the crash is what sealed the murder conviction, and he plans to file an appeal within 30 days of sentencing.
What Jurors Heard About The Crash
The state’s crash expert, Mike Flamm, studied data from the car’s computer and video from a shuttle bus that caught the crash. He testified that the steering wheel turned very hard to the left in three-tenths of a second. He said that turn kept Henderson in the center of the car as the deputy tried to get away. “It’s not accidental,” Flamm told jurors. When the defense took its turn with him, he agreed that Hinton had said, “I did not mean to hit the officer.”
The defense said Hinton was trying to kill himself by driving into a utility pole near where Henderson stood. An eyewitness, Patricia Povlitz, testified that the car hit the light pole first, then bounced to the left and struck Henderson. Hinton’s cousin testified that she had feared he might harm himself after he watched the video of his son’s death. Bennett told jurors, “He recklessly killed Deputy Henderson while attempting to kill himself.” Prosecutors said the defense did not raise the suicide claim until late in the trial.
Why The Insanity Plea Fell Short
Hinton pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. That plea says a mental illness kept a person from understanding that what he did was wrong. Bennett pointed to schizoaffective disorder, a mental illness that can bring hallucinations along with deep mood swings. A defense psychologist, Dr. Maria Espinola, testified that Hinton was going through psychosis, meaning a break from reality, and dissociation, a feeling of being cut off from oneself and one’s surroundings, at the time of the crash.
Two mental health experts for the state said Hinton showed no signs of a psychotic break right after the crash. Forensic psychologist Jennifer O’Donnell testified, “There are things that indicate he did understand the wrongfulness of his conduct.” She pointed to how he acted after the crash and to the fact that he obeyed traffic laws as he drove from a police building in the Queensgate neighborhood to the Uptown area. Prosecutors agreed that Hinton has a mental illness and was in anguish over his son, but they said he still knew what he was doing was wrong. Bennett noted that Hinton did not run and did not deny hitting Henderson.
What Comes Next
Hinton is set to be sentenced on November 16 at 9 a.m., and he could face life in prison on the murder charge. Earlier in the case, Judge Jody Luebbers ruled that he could not face the death penalty after experts testified about his mental illness.
The jury of seven women and five men reached its decision after a 10-day trial. Henderson had spent 33 years as a deputy and was still serving his community, working a graduation crowd, on the day he was killed. Bennett’s planned appeal means the case will go on after sentencing.
Sources:
fox19.com, fox19.com, cincinnati.com, wvxu.org, wcpo.com, local12.com