📍 Cincinnati jury convicts grieving father of murder in deputy's death
Illustration: Press Pass USAA Hamilton County jury has convicted Rodney Hinton Jr. of murder in the death of a sheriff's deputy he struck with his car the day after his teenage son was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
The verdict, returned Friday, October 23, also found Hinton guilty of reckless homicide and felonious assault for the May 2, 2025 crash that killed Deputy Larry Ray Henderson Jr., who was directing traffic for a University of Cincinnati graduation event. Henderson had retired from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office a few months earlier but was still working off-duty assignments. Jurors did not convict Hinton on the more serious aggravated murder counts.
The case turned on Hinton's state of mind. He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His lawyer, Clyde Bennett II, argued in closing that Hinton was trying to kill himself when he drove into the intersection and was in a psychotic episode, and said he would appeal. Prosecutors argued that although Hinton was distraught and grieving, he deliberately aimed his car at the deputy and understood right from wrong.
Hours before the crash, Hinton and other family members had watched police body camera footage showing an officer fatally shoot his 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, during a chase on May 1, 2025. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich later determined the officer's use of force was legally justified, and the officer was not charged.
Hinton faces 15 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole on the murder conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16.
Sources: Associated Press via CNN (Oct 23, 2026); WLWT and The Cincinnati Enquirer (Oct 23, 2026); Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
Sponsored