Man who fatally struck deputy after his son was killed by Cincinnati police is convicted of murder

Ohio Jury Convicts Rodney Hinton Jr. in Death of Deputy Larry Henderson

Activelifezero.com – A Hamilton County jury has found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder in the death of Deputy Larry Ray Henderson Jr., who was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic during a college graduation in Cincinnati last year.

The verdict, delivered Friday, also included convictions for reckless homicide and felonious assault. The case arose from a May 2025 crash that occurred shortly after Hinton and relatives viewed police body-camera footage connected to the fatal shooting of his 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton.

Hinton had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said an appeal will be filed.

Deputy Was Working an Off-Duty Assignment

Henderson had spent decades with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office before retiring only months before his death. Even after leaving full-time service, he continued accepting off-duty work assignments, including traffic-control duties.

He was directing vehicles around a college graduation when Hinton’s car hit him. The deputy’s death brought an abrupt end to a career marked by public service and a willingness to take on difficult responsibilities. At his funeral in 2025, colleagues remembered Henderson as a generous coworker, a committed public servant and someone who often volunteered for assignments carrying greater risk.

Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said the jury’s decision offered a measure of closure to Henderson’s family, colleagues and the wider sheriff’s office. She said the verdict also helped deliver justice for the deputy.

Mental Health Was Central to the Trial

The principal dispute at trial was Hinton’s mental state at the time of the crash. Bennett argued that his client was in the midst of a psychotic episode and was attempting to end his own life when he drove into the intersection.

Hinton has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as well as other mental-health conditions. The defense maintained that the emotional shock of his son’s death, combined with those illnesses, affected his actions in the hours that followed the viewing of the police video.

Prosecutors took a different position. They acknowledged that Hinton was grieving and distressed, but argued that he deliberately directed his vehicle toward Henderson. Their case rested on the contention that Hinton’s mental illnesses did not prevent him from recognizing the difference between right and wrong.

The jury accepted that argument and returned guilty findings on all three counts. The murder conviction carries a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16.

Crash Followed the Death of Hinton’s Son

The collision happened within hours of a deeply traumatic event for Hinton’s family. Ryan Hinton was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer after a chase. He was struck twice by gunfire.

Cincinnati’s police chief said the officer told investigators that Ryan Hinton pointed a gun at him during the encounter. The officer was not charged in the shooting.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich reviewed the circumstances of the police shooting and concluded that the officer’s use of force was legally justified. Pillich said Ryan Hinton had a fully loaded gun and pointed it at officers when they confronted him.

“Legally justified in his use of force.”

That finding did not lessen the grief surrounding Ryan Hinton’s death, which became a major part of the later criminal case against his father. The courtroom proceedings placed two fatal incidents only a day apart under close examination: the shooting of an 18-year-old by police and the death of a deputy working a traffic assignment.

Verdict Separates Grief From Criminal Responsibility

The case underscored the difficult legal distinction between a defendant’s mental-health history and the question of criminal responsibility. A diagnosis alone does not automatically establish legal insanity. Jurors were asked to weigh expert and legal arguments about whether Hinton understood the nature and wrongfulness of his conduct when Henderson was killed.

By convicting Hinton, the jury concluded that his mental condition did not excuse the actions that led to the deputy’s death. The appeal announced by Bennett means the case may continue through further court review after sentencing.

For Hamilton County law-enforcement personnel, the verdict closes one phase of a painful episode involving the loss of a longtime deputy. For Henderson’s family, the upcoming sentencing hearing will be another significant moment in a case shaped by public safety, loss, mental illness and the enduring consequences of a single day in Cincinnati.