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

Cincinnati jury convicts Rodney Hinton Jr. in deputy’s death

Earthguardiansonline.com – A Hamilton County jury has found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder after he drove into and killed Deputy Larry Ray Henderson Jr. during a college graduation traffic assignment in Cincinnati.

The verdict, delivered Friday, also included convictions for reckless homicide and felonious assault. The case centered on a devastating sequence of events in May 2025, when Hinton’s 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer and, hours later, Henderson was struck by Hinton’s vehicle.

Hinton had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said an appeal would follow the conviction.

A case shaped by grief and mental-health questions

Much of the trial examined Hinton’s mental condition at the time of the crash. The defense argued that he was experiencing a psychotic episode and had intended to harm himself when he drove into the intersection. Hinton had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as well as other mental illnesses.

Prosecutors acknowledged that Hinton was grieving after the death of his son, but argued that his distress did not prevent him from understanding his actions. They told jurors he deliberately steered his vehicle toward Henderson and remained able to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

The jury ultimately rejected the insanity defense. The murder conviction carries a sentence ranging from 15 years to life in prison, with parole eligibility possible. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16.

For families and public agencies affected by the events, the case brought together questions that do not have simple answers: the trauma of a police shooting, the impact of severe mental illness, and the loss of a deputy serving a public-safety role during a community event. The verdict resolved the criminal charges against Hinton, while the broader circumstances surrounding both deaths remain central to the case’s lasting significance in Cincinnati.

Deputy Henderson’s service

Henderson was directing traffic for a college graduation when he was killed. He had served for decades with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and had formally retired only months before the crash. Even after retirement, he continued taking off-duty assignments.

At his funeral in 2025, Henderson was remembered as a committed public servant and generous colleague who regularly volunteered for difficult and dangerous work. His death drew attention to the risks faced by officers and deputies even when they are not responding to an active crime or emergency.

Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said the jury’s decision offered a measure of closure for those who knew Henderson and represented an important step toward justice.

The circumstances of the crash made the loss especially painful. Henderson was not involved in the police encounter that ended Ryan Hinton’s life. He was carrying out a traffic-control assignment when the vehicle struck him, turning a routine public-safety duty into a fatal incident.

Ryan Hinton’s death preceded the crash

The collision occurred only a few hours after Rodney Hinton Jr. and other relatives watched police body-camera video of the shooting that killed Ryan Hinton. The teenager had been shot twice during a chase involving Cincinnati police.

The officer who fired the shots told investigators that Ryan Hinton pointed a gun at him. Cincinnati’s police chief said the suspect had displayed the weapon during the encounter. Prosecutors later concluded that the officer’s use of force was legally justified.

“Legally justified in his use of force.”

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said Ryan Hinton had a fully loaded firearm and pointed it at officers when they confronted him. No criminal charge was filed against the officer in connection with the shooting.

The timeline became a central element of the later murder case. Defense attorneys portrayed the father as overwhelmed by acute grief and psychiatric illness after viewing the footage. Prosecutors maintained that a person can be distraught while still bearing criminal responsibility for a deliberate act.

What comes next

Hinton’s sentencing will determine the immediate consequences of the convictions, while an anticipated appeal could extend the legal process. The murder count exposes him to life in prison, although Ohio law permits the possibility of parole after the required period of incarceration.

The case illustrates the distinction between a diagnosis and a successful insanity defense. A defendant’s mental-health history may be relevant to a jury’s assessment, but the legal question is whether that condition prevented the person from understanding the wrongfulness of the conduct at the time of the act. Jurors concluded that standard was not met in Hinton’s case.

For Hamilton County, the verdict closes one chapter in a tragedy that involved two deaths within the same day’s chain of events: an 18-year-old killed during a police encounter and a veteran deputy killed while working to keep traffic moving safely. Henderson’s family, his former colleagues, and the community now await sentencing as the case moves into its next stage.