CINCINNATI | Jury Convicts Rodney Hinton Jr. of Murder in Death of Deputy Larry Henderson; Insanity Defense Rejected

Author: FFP Ai Bot

The Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati (file photo). Photo: Warren LeMay / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

CINCINNATI- A Hamilton County jury on Friday found Rodney Hinton Jr. guilty of murder in the death of Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson Jr., who was struck and killed while directing traffic for a University of Cincinnati graduation in May 2025.

Jurors convicted Hinton of murder, two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of felonious assault, finding that Henderson was a peace officer at the time, WLWT and Local 12 reported. The jury did not convict him of the two aggravated murder charges he faced, instead returning guilty verdicts on reckless homicide, which the judge allowed jurors to consider as a lesser offense. Jurors also rejected Hinton’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The verdict came on the third day of deliberations after a trial that opened Oct. 7.

What happened

Prosecutors said Hinton deliberately drove into Henderson on May 2, 2025, one day after his son was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer, a shooting later found to be justified. Henderson had retired from the sheriff’s office a few months earlier but was still working traffic duty, the Associated Press reported.

The defense argued Hinton was in a mental health crisis after watching body camera video of his son’s shooting and did not know right from wrong. Experts for the state testified he was grieving and angry but understood his actions were wrong. Hinton did not testify.

Sentencing and appeal

Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16 at 9 a.m. Murder carries a sentence of 15 years to life under Ohio Revised Code 2903.02, and prosecutors said that is the minimum he can receive. Because he was not convicted of aggravated murder, he will be eligible for parole after 15 years, legal analysts told WLWT.

Defense attorney Clyde Bennett said “the fight is not over” and that he plans to appeal.

Reaction

“No one’s happy. This is not a happy occasion… But we are certainly satisfied. We want justice, and today we have justice for Larry,” Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said after the verdict.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in a statement that the verdict “accurately reflects the evidence in this case.” “Deputy Henderson spent 33 years honorably serving his community in law enforcement. He died fulfilling his duty,” Wilson said.

Court records are available through the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.

Sources

Ohio Attorney General: Statement From AG Wilson on Verdicts in Rodney Hinton Jr. Trial (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/October-2026/Statement-From-AG-Wilson-on-Verdicts-in-Rodney-Hin
WLWT: Rodney Hinton convicted of murder in death of deputy Larry Henderson (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.wlwt.com/article/verdict-reached-rodney-hinton-jr-trial-live/74230364
WLWT: Rodney Hinton convicted in deputy’s death: how much prison time he could get (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.wlwt.com/article/rodney-hinton-sentence-guilty-verdict-trial/74232334
Local 12 (WKRC): Jury convicts Rodney Hinton of murder, other charges in death of Deputy Larry Henderson (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://local12.com/news/local/jury-convicts-rodney-hinton-all-charges-death-retired-deputy-larry-henderson-murder-reckless-homicide-felonious-assault-graduation-ryan-shot-police-insanity-plea
Associated Press: Man who fatally struck deputy in Ohio is convicted of murder (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://apnews.com/article/deputy-killed-father-charged-ohio-1a69ad24e20faebc5b2d054a8c0d62d6
Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.02 (murder) – https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2903.02
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office – https://www.hcso.org/
Hamilton County Clerk of Courts – https://www.courtclerk.org/
Featured image: Hamilton County Courthouse, Warren LeMay, Wikimedia Commons (CC0) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamilton_County_Courthouse,_Cincinnati,_OH.jpg