The day after a Cincinnati police officer shot and killed his son, Hinton drove his car into Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing graduation traffic near the University of Cincinnati. A Hamilton County jury rejected his insanity plea and convicted him of murder, but not aggravated murder.
On Nov. 2, 2026, Hinton's lawyer, Clyde Bennett II, moved for a new trial, alleging juror misconduct: he says a juror admitted in a post-verdict interview that the jury considered Hinton's statements to a court-appointed psychologist, which the judge had told jurors not to consider; no hearing had been scheduled.3 On Oct. 28, Hinton pleaded guilty in Clermont County to three counts of assault on jail officers and was sentenced to 18 months.4 Sentencing in the murder case is set for Nov. 16.56
On May 1, 2025, Cincinnati police officers confronted Hinton’s son, Ryan Hinton, about a stolen car.2 According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s review, he had a gun with a fully loaded magazine and a round in the chamber, and he pointed it at an officer.2 The officer, identified in the review only as “Officer A,” shot him; he was 18, the AP reported.215 Police said a handgun was found on him and a second gun in the car, and that there was no indication he fired at police.15 On June 17, 2025, Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced that the officer’s use of force was lawful, saying the officer “made a split-second decision that likely saved his life and the lives of other officers”; the case was not presented to a grand jury.2
Rodney Hinton Jr. watched police body-camera footage of the shooting before the crash the next day; testimony at trial was that he did so despite family members asking him not to.159
According to the prosecutor’s office, Hinton spent part of May 2, 2025, at the Cincinnati Police Department after being told of the incident involving his son, leaving and returning several times, and left with family members before returning for his own car.1 At about 1:05 p.m., prosecutors say, he stopped on Martin Luther King Drive near Burnet Woods Drive, waited for traffic to clear, and drove across several lanes at high speed toward Deputy Larry Henderson, who was directing University of Cincinnati graduation traffic from a median in uniform and a fluorescent vest.1 The car struck Henderson and crashed into a pole.1 Henderson, 57, died that night.151 The chief deputy coroner testified that the cause of death was blunt force injuries to the head and torso.9
Henderson had retired from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in December 2024 after more than three decades as a corrections officer, patrol officer and dive team supervisor, and continued working as a special deputy.1516 He had also served in the Marine Corps, the AP reported.15
On May 8, 2025, a Hamilton County grand jury indicted Hinton, then 38, on two counts of aggravated murder, one of murder and two of felonious assault.112 Pillich called it “a targeted killing of an innocent deputy who was working to protect and serve his community,” and said the act also endangered many people at the graduation.1 The aggravated murder charges carried a possible death sentence.1 He was held without bond.1
At a Dec. 10, 2025, hearing on whether Hinton has a serious mental illness, the court-appointed forensic psychologist, Dr. Jennifer O’Donnell, testified that he had bipolar disorder when Henderson was killed and that it seriously affected his decision-making; she said it was not possible to say how much his conduct was driven by the disorder and how much by the distress of the footage.14 Bipolar disorder is one of the conditions that qualify as a serious mental illness under Ohio law, which bars a death sentence for such defendants.1413 On Jan. 5, 2026, prosecutors said that three psychologists had found a serious mental illness and that the law prevented them from seeking death; Pillich said, “Mr. Hinton deliberately killed an innocent man,” and that her office would seek life without parole.13 On Jan. 15, Judge Jody Luebbers found that he has a qualifying serious mental illness that significantly impaired his judgment and removed the death penalty, telling him, “Mr. Hinton, the death penalty is now off the table.”12 He then changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.12
In December 2025, while held in the Clermont County Jail, he was charged with assaulting corrections officers; on Oct. 28, 2026, he pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and was sentenced to 18 months.4
After several days of jury selection, opening statements were given Oct. 7, 2026, and jurors toured the scene.11 Both sides agreed that Hinton drove into Henderson; the question was his mental state.5 Chief Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Rosales told jurors that his actions were deliberate and documented on video, and that “emotional distress does not excuse murder” in Ohio.11 Bennett told jurors that Hinton had been mentally ill since his 20s, had taken several antipsychotic medications, and was emotionally devastated by the video of his son’s shooting.11
Jurors saw video tracing Hinton’s route to the scene; the lead detective testified that he reviewed about 400 pieces of video, edited to about 15 minutes for the jury.9 Witnesses testified that the car did not brake before impact, and a crash reconstruction expert testified that it accelerated to about 50 mph, struck Henderson at nearly 44 mph and was steered purposefully; one witness testified that the car appeared to be aimed at a utility pole.9
A forensic psychologist called by the defense testified that she diagnosed schizophrenia and that Hinton was not taking his medication at the time.9 A defense psychiatrist, Maria Espinosa, testified that the video of his son’s shooting caused a severe psychological break, with “dissociation and psychotic symptoms,” and that he heard his pastor’s voice while driving.9 Prosecution psychologist Jaimie Adkins testified that he had a severe mental disease at the time but knew right from wrong and was not suicidal; on cross-examination she acknowledged that she had not interviewed the two relatives who were with him that day.10 O’Donnell, who evaluated him three times, testified that she found no psychosis and that he knew right from wrong: “Did he have a psychotic episode? My answer to that is no.”9 A prosecution rebuttal witness testified that he told her, “I had to turn a little bit to hit him.”9 Hinton did not testify, according to the sources reviewed.9
Judge Luebbers allowed jurors to consider reckless homicide as a lesser offense.95
On Oct. 23, 2026, after more than two days of deliberation, the jury found Hinton guilty of murder, two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of felonious assault, did not find him guilty of aggravated murder, and rejected his insanity plea.567 Bennett said he was disappointed and believed the crash video sealed the murder conviction.7 “His family is disappointed. His family knows he is mentally ill,” he said.5 Burroughs said she hoped the verdict brought Henderson’s family “some sense of justice and peace.”6 Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the verdict “accurately reflects the evidence in this case.”7
The sources reviewed contain no account of Hinton’s childhood, schooling or work. A defense psychologist cited genetic factors, childhood trauma, neglect and abuse in her testimony.9 His father said after the verdict that it was a “tough blow” to the family.6
His lawyer told jurors that his mental illness dated to his 20s, that he had been prescribed several antipsychotic medications, and that he was once found unclothed on the streets of Middletown, Ohio.11 Testimony at a pretrial hearing described a 2024 hospitalization during which he received antipsychotic medication, WVXU reported.13 The experts differed on diagnosis: the court-appointed psychologist testified to bipolar disorder, a defense psychologist to schizophrenia, and the defense described schizoaffective disorder.1495 Judge Luebbers found that he has a qualifying serious mental illness.12 The jury found that he was not legally insane at the time of the killing.7
Hinton has been held without bond since his arrest and was held at the Clermont County Jail, where he received mental health treatment, before trial.114 In October 2026 he was sentenced to 18 months for the jail assaults.4
Prosecutors argued that Hinton saw Henderson's uniform and chose to kill a law enforcement officer.7 "It was the defendant's purpose and specific intent to kill deputy Larry Henderson," Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burroughs told jurors; she acknowledged his mental illness and his anguish over his son's death but argued that he knew what he was doing was wrong.5 Prosecutor Connie Pillich has called the killing "a targeted killing of an innocent deputy."1 Prosecutors have said they want a sentence of 15 years to life.7
Bennett argued that Hinton has long suffered from serious mental illness, had a psychotic episode after watching video of his son's shooting, and did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions.57 In closing he argued that Hinton was trying to kill himself by driving into a pole: "He recklessly killed Deputy Henderson while attempting to kill himself."5 After the verdict he said the jury had "split the baby" and that he would appeal.6 He has said Hinton "should receive mental medical treatment, not punishment."12
A Cincinnati police officer fatally shoots Hinton's son, Ryan Hinton, after a stolen-car call.215
Hinton's car strikes Deputy Larry Henderson near the University of Cincinnati; Henderson dies that night.1
A grand jury indicts Hinton on aggravated murder and other charges.1
The prosecutor finds the officer's shooting of Ryan Hinton legally justified.2
At a serious-mental-illness hearing, a court-appointed psychologist testifies that he had bipolar disorder at the time of the killing.14
Judge Luebbers removes the death penalty; Hinton pleads not guilty by reason of insanity.12
Opening statements are given after several days of jury selection.11
The jury convicts him of murder and lesser counts and rejects the insanity plea.57
The defense moves for a new trial, alleging juror misconduct.3
Sentencing is set for Nov. 16, 2026, at 9 a.m. before Judge Luebbers.5 The murder count carries 15 years to life with the possibility of parole.6 No hearing on the new-trial motion had been scheduled as of Nov. 2.3 Bennett has said he will appeal within 30 days of sentencing.7 A bill named for Henderson that would require death or life without parole for the aggravated murder of a police officer passed the Ohio House and was before the Senate; it does not apply to this case.6