Rodney Hinton Jr. is a 40-year-old father from Cincinnati. In May 2025, hours after police showed him body camera footage of an officer fatally shooting his 18-year-old son, prosecutors say he drove to a college graduation and intentionally ran down a sheriff’s deputy directing traffic. His murder trial started this week.
The deputy was Larry Henderson, 57. He had retired from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office five months earlier after 33 years on the job and was working a special assignment at the University of Cincinnati’s commencement ceremony. He died from his injuries.
Hinton’s lawyers say he suffered a mental break and want the jury to find him not guilty by reason of insanity. He has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Prosecutors say he knew exactly what he was doing. “He knew it was wrong. He just didn’t care,” Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Rosales told the jury in opening statements.
The death penalty is off the table because of the mental illness diagnosis. Hinton faces life in prison without parole. Twelve jurors and four alternates were seated Wednesday, and testimony is expected to run about two weeks.
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Photos: The Cincinnati Enquirer (Hinton courtroom photo); Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (Deputy Henderson official portrait)