The man accused of hitting and killing a Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy with his car last week has been indicted.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich says a grand jury has returned two charges of aggravated murder, a charge of murder and two charges of felonious assault. The aggravated murder charges could make Hinton eligible for the death penalty.
Pillich explained that each murder charge corresponds with a different part of the Ohio Revised Code.
Authorities say Hinton purposely ran his Ford Focus into Deputy Larry Henderson May 2 just hours after he saw body camera footage of Cincinnati Police shooting and killing his son Ryan Hinton at CPD's investigative facility in Queensgate.
Pillich says Hinton was distraught after seeing the video. His family took him to Findlay Market, then to a family home where he took a nap. Hinton returned to the police department afterward, took his car, left the parking lot briefly, returned, then left again and drove to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive where he hit Henderson.
"This was a targeted killing of an innocent deputy who was working to protect and serve his community," Pillich said. "Additionally, Hinton put in danger the lives of many innocent people celebrating a momentous occasion in their lives — college graduation. This is a horrific crime and my office is treating it as such."
Hinton is being held at the Clermont County Jail without bond. His attorney Clyde Bennett II told Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Tyrone Yates during Hinton's bond hearing Wednesday that his client suffers from mental illness and was under severe emotional distress after viewing the body camera video.
"I think in light of his mindset at the time that this happened, I think he has mental issues," Bennett said. "I think the conduct in question is classic — classic — mental illness."
Officials held a public visitation for Henderson at the Cintas Center Thursday. Another visitation followed by funeral services and a procession to Spring Grove Cemetery takes place Friday.
Pillich declined to discuss investigations into the shooting death of Hinton's son by an unidentified Cincinnati Police officer. Those investigations are still ongoing, she said.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey asked the public to have patience and empathy.
"We're all mourning someone," she said. "I understand that this is a very trying time. I understand that tempers are high. What I'm asking everyone in our community to do — do the things that you know in your grief will help you heal. But I'm asking you to please, please let justice play out in all cases."
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