A Hamilton County jury on Friday, October 23, found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder and other charges in the death of Hamilton County sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson, rejecting Hinton’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The verdict was returned in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in Cincinnati after a trial that lasted about two and a half weeks, according to reporting from the Cincinnati Enquirer and WLWT.
Jurors convicted the 40-year-old Hinton of murder, but they did not convict him of aggravated murder, the more serious charge. On those counts they instead found him guilty of reckless homicide, and he was also convicted of felonious assault. The jury was made up of seven women and five men, the Enquirer reported.
Henderson was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati during graduation activities on May 2, 2025, when Hinton drove into him, according to court reporting on the case. Henderson had retired from the sheriff’s office and was working a special assignment that day. He died from his injuries.
The crash happened hours after Hinton had watched police body camera footage of the death of his son, Ryan Hinton, who was shot by a Cincinnati police officer on May 1, 2025, according to trial reporting. Henderson was not involved in that shooting. Prosecutors argued Hinton deliberately drove at Henderson, while the defense argued his mental condition at the time meant he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
A murder conviction in Ohio carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole, the Enquirer reported. Reckless homicide carries up to three years on those counts as well. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16 at 9 a.m., according to WLWT and other outlets reporting the verdict.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said the conviction brought some closure to her deputies. “We can now all grieve and move forward with some finality,” McGuffey said, according to the Enquirer. She called the situation a tragedy, but a tragedy of Hinton’s own making, and said his decision killed Henderson and also hurt Hinton’s own family and Hinton himself.
Hinton’s lawyer, Clyde Bennett II, said he was disappointed with the verdict and said he would appeal the case within 30 days, the Enquirer reported. “But my fight for justice is not over,” Bennett said. Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burroughs did not answer questions after the verdict, but read a statement thanking the jurors, according to the Enquirer.
The case now moves to the sentencing phase on November 16, when the court will impose sentence on the murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault convictions. Any appeal Bennett files would follow that sentencing, based on the timeline he gave reporters after the verdict on Friday.