Rodney Hinton Jr. has been found guilty in the death of a sheriff’s deputy he struck with his car in May 2025, one day after his son was fatally shot by Cincinnati police.
According to WLWT, a Hamilton County jury found Hinton guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault on Friday (October 23). Jurors rejected his insanity defense but found him guilty of lesser charges of reckless homicide instead of aggravated murder.
Hinton’s trial centered on whether his mental illness prevented him from understanding that his actions were wrong when he struck Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson.
As BIN reported, Hinton’s attorney, Clyde Bennett, argued that his client was legally insane at the time of the crash because of his history of serious mental illness, including schizoaffective disorder and psychosis. Bennett told jurors, “He did not understand the wrongness of his conduct when he killed Deputy Henderson.”
The incident happened hours after Hinton watched body-camera footage showing his 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, being fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
The defense argued that Hinton was experiencing a psychotic episode and may have been attempting to kill himself when he drove into a utility pole before striking Henderson.
Prosecutors disputed that account, arguing that Hinton deliberately drove toward Henderson, who was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati. They maintained that although Hinton was grieving and emotionally distressed following his son’s death, he understood that his actions were wrong.
Following the verdict, Bennett told WLWT that he was disappointed with the outcome and that the defense plans to appeal.
“I don't take this as a victory, I wanted him to be found not guilty of each and every charge,” Bennett said.
Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16 at 9 a.m., according to WLWT.
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