The Rodney Hinton Jr. case is an Ohio murder prosecution in which a 39-year-old father is charged with killing retired Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson by driving into him on May 2, 2025, hours after watching body camera footage of his 18-year-old son being fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer the day before. Hinton has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His trial is scheduled to begin October 5, 2026 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, and the death penalty is no longer on the table after a judge found he suffers from a qualifying serious mental illness.
What Happened on May 1 and May 2, 2025
On May 1, 2025, Cincinnati police found a stolen Kia parked at an East Price Hill apartment complex. Four people ran, including Ryan Hinton. During the chase, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich, Ryan dropped a gun, picked it back up, and pointed it toward an officer, who fired four to five shots. An autopsy found three gunshot wounds, one of them a lethal wound to the heart.1WVXU. Autopsy: Ryan Hinton Had Three Gunshot Wounds From Police Shooting Pillich later ruled the shooting legally justified and did not present the case to a grand jury.2WLWT. Cincinnati Ryan Hinton Police Shooting Review Results
The next morning, Rodney Hinton Jr. and his family went to a police station to view body camera footage of the shooting. According to court records and his defense attorney, he was agitated and distraught afterward. His wife took his car keys away. A family member later gave them back.3Cincinnati Enquirer. Why Rodney Hinton Jr. Won’t Face Death Penalty in Deputy’s Killing
That afternoon, Hinton drove toward the University of Cincinnati, where graduation ceremonies were underway. Larry Henderson, a 33-year veteran of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office who had retired in December 2024 and was working as a special deputy directing traffic, was in an intersection near the university. Police said Hinton appeared to stop, then “accelerated quickly” into the intersection, striking Henderson and launching him through the air. Henderson died at a hospital shortly afterward. He was 57.4NBC News. Ohio Dad Accused of Mowing Down Special Deputy Sheriff With Car Pleads Insanity5Cincinnati Enquirer. Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson Funeral
The Charges and Why the Death Penalty Was Dropped
On May 8, 2025, a Hamilton County grand jury indicted Hinton on two counts of aggravated murder, one count of murder, and two counts of felonious assault. The aggravated murder counts carried a possible death sentence. Pillich called it “a targeted killing of an innocent deputy who was working to protect and serve his community.”6Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich Announces Indictment in the Intentional Killing of Deputy Hinton was ordered held without bond.
In July 2025, defense attorney Clyde Bennett II moved to remove capital punishment as a possible sentence, invoking a 2021 Ohio law that bars the death penalty for defendants with certain serious mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia.7Cincinnati Enquirer. Lawyers Seek to Remove Death Penalty in Rodney Hinton Jr. Case
Three court-appointed forensic psychologists evaluated Hinton. Dr. Jennifer O’Donnell testified in December 2025 that she diagnosed him with bipolar disorder with psychotic features and that the condition “significantly impaired his ability to exercise rational judgment” the day of the killing. On cross-examination she acknowledged she could not say his bipolar disorder alone caused his actions.8Cincinnati Enquirer. Mental Health of Rodney Hinton Jr. Now Central Issue in Murder Case9Spectrum News 1. Mental Health of Man Accused of Killing Deputy Questioned in Court
Court records showed a documented mental health history. In March 2023, while jailed on domestic violence charges, Hinton was placed on suicide watch after attempting to harm himself. Two months later, he was hospitalized after showing symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, including auditory and visual hallucinations. His family reported a history of schizophrenia, depression, and suicide. He had repeatedly stopped taking prescribed anti-psychotic medication and told evaluators he had been off his medications for eight months before the incident.3Cincinnati Enquirer. Why Rodney Hinton Jr. Won’t Face Death Penalty in Deputy’s Killing10WLWT. Rodney Hinton Documents Murder Charge Court Death Penalty
Prosecutors agreed the statutory threshold was met. On January 15, 2026, Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers ruled Hinton has a “qualifying SMI condition” and dismissed the aggravated murder counts. Hinton changed his plea the same day to not guilty by reason of insanity. He now faces one count of murder and two counts of felonious assault, with a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.11FOX19. Death Penalty Off Table for Suspect in Deputy’s Murder, Changes Plea
What the Insanity Defense Has to Prove
Removing the death penalty and winning acquittal are different questions. Ohio’s SMI statute barred a capital sentence based on diagnosis. The insanity defense at trial will require the jury to decide whether Hinton understood the wrongfulness of his conduct when he drove into Henderson. Both sides are expected to present competing expert testimony.12FOX19. Rodney Hinton Jr. to Go to Trial in October for Deputy’s Death Bennett has framed the defense position bluntly: “he should not be punished as a criminal. He should be treated for his mental illness.”13Spectrum News 1. Rodney Hinton Jr. SMI Hearing
The Jail Assault Charges
Hinton has been held at the Clermont County Jail. On December 13, 2025, according to court documents and body camera footage, a corrections officer was escorting him back to his cell when Hinton punched the officer in the face. Two other officers intervened. The officer was reported to be “okay.”14WCPO. Rodney Hinton Jr. Facing Felonious Assault Charge Accused of Hitting Clermont County Jail Officer He now faces three counts of felonious assault in Clermont County, to which he pleaded not guilty in December 2025. Bond in that case was set at $300,000, though he remains held without bond on the murder charge.12FOX19. Rodney Hinton Jr. to Go to Trial in October for Deputy’s Death
Civil Disputes Around the Case
Two civil matters have run alongside the criminal case. In July 2025, Lorena Henderson, the deputy’s widow and executor of his estate, sued Hinton’s wife, mother, and sister in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court over more than $100,000 the family had raised on GiveSendGo. Her attorney, Zachary Gottesman, argued that Ohio law bars profiting from wrongful conduct and alleged a “malicious, civil conspiracy” to profit from the killing. The suit seeks damages for emotional distress.15FOX19. Deputy Larry Henderson’s Wife Sues Over Funds Raised by Accused Killer An attorney for the Hinton family said the suit violates Hinton’s First Amendment rights and that a defendant presumed innocent may raise funds for a legal defense.16WLWT. Larry Henderson Death Lawsuit Deputy Wife Hinton
Separately, in January 2026, Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober alleged that City Manager Sheryl Long was “quietly negotiating a massive settlement” with the Hinton family over Ryan Hinton’s shooting, calling it a “backroom deal” involving “millions of dollars in taxpayer money.”17Cincinnati Enquirer. Hinton Family Lawyer Speaks Out on Massive Settlement Claims Long denied it, calling the allegations “baseless,” “reckless,” and “highly inflammatory,” and stating “the City has not reached a settlement agreement.”18WCPO. City Manager Denies FOP President’s Claim Cincinnati Has Reached Settlement With Family of Ryan Rodney Hinton Family attorney Fanon Rucker confirmed conversations with the city since summer 2025 but said Kober’s claim was “news to me,” and confirmed no civil lawsuit had been filed against the city.19FOX19. Hinton Lawyer Shocked by FOP Claim of Massive Settlement With City
One other lawsuit sometimes attached to Hinton’s name was not his: in May 2025, an Atlanta woman named Antoinette Holloway filed a $25 million federal civil rights complaint on Hinton’s behalf without authorization. Bennett said Hinton did not know her and did not file it. A federal judge dismissed the case in September 2025 for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, ruling Holloway, a non-attorney, could not represent Hinton.20FOX19. Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Man Facing Death Penalty for Deputy’s Killing
Trial Date and Possible Outcomes
Trial was originally scheduled for January 2026, then April, and is now set for October 5, 2026. At a June 16, 2026 pretrial hearing, Judge Luebbers estimated about three weeks of proceedings: one for jury selection, two for testimony and arguments.21Yahoo News. Judge Gives Estimate for How Long Rodney Hinton Trial Will Take A murder conviction carries a maximum of life in prison without parole. A verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity would send Hinton to a state psychiatric facility rather than prison.12FOX19. Rodney Hinton Jr. to Go to Trial in October for Deputy’s Death