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Rodney Hinton Jr: What We Know

By the Undercurrent desk · Published

Video · 3:31 · Watch on YouTube

Why did a Hamilton County jury convict Rodney Hinton Jr. of murder after hearing an insanity defense? On Oct. 23, 2026, a jury in Cincinnati convicted Hinton in the May 2, 2025 death of retired Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, and rejected the most serious charge, aggravated murder. He has not been sentenced. The defense says it will appeal.

What's confirmed

  1. May 1, 2025Cincinnati police shot and killed Hinton's 18-year-old son, Ryan. WVXU; FOX19
  2. May 2, 2025Deputy Larry Henderson, a retired deputy with 33 years in law enforcement, died while working a traffic detail at the University of Cincinnati's graduation. Ohio Attorney General's Office; Local 12; FOX19
  3. June 17, 2025Hamilton County's prosecutor ruled the officer's shooting of Ryan Hinton justified. Ryan's family says it was not. FOX19; WVXU
  4. Oct. 8, 2026 (opening statements)prosecutors said Hinton intentionally struck the deputy with his car; a prosecutor said, "Emotional distress does not excuse murder." FOX19
  5. Oct. 8-20, 2026the defense argued Hinton was mentally ill and did not understand that what he did was wrong; attorney Clyde Bennett asked for a verdict of not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity. FOX19; Local 12
  6. Oct. 23, 2026after more than two days of deliberation, the jury convicted Hinton of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault. It found him not guilty of aggravated murder. FOX19; Local 12; WVXU

What we don't know / what's disputed

  • Why the jury decided as it did. Jurors have not explained their reasoning publicly. In closing, a prosecutor told them, "He made a terrible choice, and he knew it was wrong." Local 12
  • The defense disputes the verdict. Bennett: "His family knows that he was mentally ill at the time of the offense." FOX19
  • The sentence.

What happens next

  • Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2026. Prosecutors say they will seek 15 years to life. The defense says it will appeal. We will update this case when it moves.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Rodney Hinton Jr. verdict: the question
  2. 0:21Deputy Larry Henderson: who he was
  3. 0:42Ryan Hinton shooting: the day before
  4. 1:08Hinton trial: both sides' arguments
  5. 1:50Rodney Hinton Jr. verdict: the charges
  6. 2:21Hinton sentencing: Nov. 16 and appeal
Read the video transcript

A Hamilton County jury convicted Rodney Hinton Jr. of murder. It happened hours after he watched police video of his own son's death. His defense asked for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

So why did the jury say no? Larry Henderson served thirty-three years in law enforcement. On May second, 2025, the retired deputy was working a traffic detail at the University of Cincinnati's graduation. Ohio's attorney general said he, quote, died fulfilling his duty.

The day before, May first, Cincinnati police shot and killed Rodney Hinton's eighteen-year-old son, Ryan. Hours before the crash, police showed Hinton the body camera video. Hamilton County's prosecutor later ruled the officer's shooting legally justified. Ryan's family says it was not.

Prosecutors told jurors Hinton intentionally struck the deputy with his car. In opening statements, a prosecutor said, quote, emotional distress does not excuse murder. The defense said Hinton was mentally ill and did not understand that what he did was wrong. In closing, attorney Clyde Bennett said, quote, not guilty of all the charges in the indictment, or not guilty by reason of insanity, is the only just verdict.

When there's a verified update to this case, we'll publish it here. Subscribe if you'd like to see it. This is FOX19's report from the courthouse, published October twenty-third. On October twenty-third, 2026, after more than two days of deliberation, the jury convicted Hinton of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault in the death of Deputy Henderson.

It rejected the most serious charge, aggravated murder. Jurors haven't explained their reasoning publicly. So why did the jury say no? Jurors haven't explained.

In closing, a prosecutor told them, quote, he made a terrible choice, and he knew it was wrong. Defense attorney Clyde Bennett said, quote, his family knows that he was mentally ill at the time of the offense. He says the defense will appeal. Hinton will be sentenced November sixteenth.

Prosecutors say they're seeking fifteen years to life. Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said of the verdict, quote, we have some finality. What we don't know: the sentence, and why the jury decided as it did. Sentencing is November sixteenth.

This has been Undercurrent. We'll update this case when Hinton is sentenced. Subscribe and tap the bell to follow it.

Transcript of the narration in the video above.

Sources

  1. FOX19 Reportingfox19.com/2026/10/23/rodney-hinton-jr-found-guilty-murdering-hamilton-county-deputy/
  2. FOX19 Reportingfox19.com/2026/10/23/defense-file-appeal-after-rodney-hinton-jr-convicted-deputys-murder/
  3. FOX19 Reportingfox19.com/2026/10/08/jury-hears-opening-statements-emotional-testimony-hinton-jr-murder-trial/
  4. FOX19 Reportingfox19.com/2025/06/17/not-justified-ryan-hintons-family-speaks-after-prosecutor-releases-findings/
  5. Local 12 Reportinglocal12.com/newsletter/accident-intentional-both-sides-present-closing-arguments-rodney-hinton-trial-cincinnati-larry-henderson-reckless-ryan-killed-police-video
  6. Ohio Attorney General's Office Primary recordohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/May-2026/Four-Who-Died-in-Line-of-Duty-Honored-at-Ohio-Peac
  7. WVXU, Spectrum News 1 (Oct. 23, 2026 verdict coverage)

The record · as of Oct. 24, 2026

How we know

Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.

What happens next

  • Hinton sentencing, Hamilton County Common Pleas

We check these records for changes: Hinton Nov 16 2026 sentencing + any new rulings.

Verified timeline

  1. 2025-05-01Cincinnati police shot and killed Ryan Hinton, 18, in East Price Hill; police said he pointed a handgun at officers. Hours later, Rodney Hinton Jr. was shown the body-camera video.WVXU, 13abc, FOX19 (Jun 17 2025)
  2. 2025-05-02Henderson was struck on Martin Luther King Drive near Burnet Woods Drive, in Cincinnati's Clifton Heights area, while directing traffic for UC graduation.Hamilton County Prosecutor release (hcpros.org); FOX19 2025-06-17; FOX19 2026-10-23 (Burnet Woods)
  3. 2025-05-02Hamilton County Sheriff's retired Deputy Larry Henderson, working a traffic detail at the University of Cincinnati graduation, was struck by a car at Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and Burnet Woods Dr. and died at UC Medical Center. Police say Rodney Hinton Jr. was driving.WVXU, 13abc, FOX19, Local 12
  4. 2025-05-02Cincinnati police arrested Hinton and charged him with aggravated murder (police-attributed charge at that time; arrest is reported May 2-3, exact hour not stated).13abc, FOX19
  5. 2025-05-07At a bond hearing Hinton was ordered held without bond at Clermont County Jail; his attorney cited mental illness (charged only, not convicted at that time).WVXU, Yahoo/Cincinnati Enquirer syndication
  6. 2025-05-08Hamilton County grand jury indicted Hinton on two counts aggravated murder (death-penalty eligible), one count murder, two counts felonious assault; Prosecutor Connie Pillich called it a 'targeted killing.' He pleaded not guilty.WVXU, FOX19, Journal-News
  7. 2025-06-17Prosecutor Connie Pillich ruled the officer's shooting of Ryan Hinton legally justified, without going to a grand jury; Ryan Hinton's family says it was not justified and plans a civil suit.FOX19, WVXU, CityBeat, WCPO
  8. 2025-12-10Hinton's defense asked to change plea to not guilty by reason of insanity (Judge Jody Luebbers); next hearing Jan. 6, 2026. Later reports describe the insanity plea as in place at trial.WVXU, FOX19, Local 12
  9. 2026-10-05Jury selection began in Hamilton County Common Pleas; opening statements Oct. 7. Hinton pleaded not guilty / NGRI; defense said he was psychotic after the video, prosecutors said he intended to kill the deputy.FOX19, WCPO, Local 12
  10. 2026-10-21Jury deliberations began (FOX19: no verdict after day 1).FOX19, WLWT
  11. 2026-10-23Jury found Hinton guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault, and not guilty of aggravated murder; the insanity defense was rejected. Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II said he will appeal.FOX19, Local 12, Spectrum, WHIO, WVXU
  12. 2026-11-16Sentencing scheduled 9 a.m. in Hamilton County Common Pleas; murder carries 15 years to life; prosecutors seek 15-to-life. Not yet sentenced; appeal planned within 30 days of sentencing.FOX19, Local 12, WVXU

Also in our research file

Updates and corrections

No corrections to this page. Spot an error? corrections@undercurrentdaily.com

Hinton was convicted by a jury and has not been sentenced; the defense plans to appeal. Photos are credited press and agency images.

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist

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