Ohio Man Convicted of Murder for Killing Hamilton County Deputy with Car
Rodney Hinton Jr. was found guilty of murdering Deputy Larry Henderson, whom he struck with his car hours after police fatally shot his son.
Ohio man convicted of murder after deliberately driving into sheriff's deputy
An Ohio jury has found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault for deliberately striking and killing Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson on 2 May 2025, kltv.com reports.
The verdict was announced on Friday. Hinton faces sentencing on 16 November, with prosecutors seeking a term of 15 years to life in prison.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich told the court that the fatal collision occurred just hours after Hinton had watched body camera footage of his 19-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, being shot dead by a Cincinnati police officer. That shooting was subsequently ruled justified. According to Pillich, Ryan Hinton had been fleeing from officers, dropped a firearm and then picked it back up.
Prosecutors argued that Rodney Hinton intentionally drove his vehicle into Henderson as the deputy directed traffic near Burnet Woods, and that Hinton had seen Henderson's uniform, reacted to the death of his son and made a deliberate decision to act.
"The evidence left no doubt that Hinton intentionally drove his car into Henderson," prosecutors stated.
Defence attorney Clyde Bennett maintained that his client was not aiming for the deputy and was instead suffering from acute psychotic symptoms and severe mental illness at the time, meaning he did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions. Bennett told reporters after the verdict that he was "disappointed" in the jury's finding and attributed the conviction largely to video footage of the crash. He said he intends to file an appeal within 30 days of sentencing.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey welcomed the outcome, saying it gave her office a measure of closure after reliving Henderson's death throughout the trial.
"We do believe that is an appropriate finding," McGuffey said. "Now we can come together and hug each other and tell each other, we're here. We have some finality."
Prosecutors also addressed Henderson's family directly. "His family will never truly be able to fill that void, but we hope that today's verdict brings them some sense of justice and peace," they said.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson issued a statement calling Henderson's killing a "senseless murder" and noting that the deputy had spent 33 years in law enforcement. "He died fulfilling his duty," Wilson said. "His death is a painful reminder of the risks that law enforcement officers face every day while working to keep us safe."
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)