The man accused of killing a Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy following his own son's death was back in court Wednesday. Rodney Hinton Jr. is asking for a new arraignment so he can change his plea from not guilty to not guilty by reason of insanity.
Hinton is charged with aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault after authorities say he purposely ran his Ford Focus into Deputy Larry Henderson on May 2, 2025. The incident came just hours after Hinton saw body camera footage of Cincinnati Police shooting and killing his son, Ryan Hinton, at the department's investigative facility in Queensgate.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers heard testimony Wednesday from a court-appointed forensic psychologist. Two more experts are scheduled to appear at the next hearing on Jan. 6. No ruling is expected before that date.
WVXU has reached out to Hinton's attorney for comment.
What happened
Ryan Hinton, 18, was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer May 1. He was one of four people fleeing from a stolen car at an apartment complex in Price Hill when the shooting occurred.
Cincinnati Police say Hinton aimed a gun at the officer. The agency hasn't named the officer, citing Marsy's Law.
Body camera footage is blurry and hard to see. In it, Hinton stumbles and falls before running between two dumpsters. An officer shoots him within seconds of Hinton emerging from those dumpsters. Police say a handgun was recovered at the scene.
According to police, Hinton was shot once in the chest and once through the arm and side. Aid was rendered at the scene, but he died.
In June, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office announced it had determined the shooting was justified and said the officer involved would not face charges.
During a news conference, Prosecutor Connie Pillich showed body camera footage in which an officer cries, "he has a gun" and showed photos from Hinton's phone in which he is holding the unusual beige-colored handgun.
"When Ryan Hinton was confronted by officers about a stolen car, he not only had a gun, with a fully loaded magazine and a bullet in the chamber, but he pointed it at Officer A," Pillich said.
Immediately after the announcement, Hinton's family decried the finding. They had commissioned an independent investigation into his death the month prior.
"We all saw Ryan running," his cousin, Marlyn Howard, said. "How can you be threatened by someone running?"
The family, in June, said it would file a wrongful death lawsuit. Attorney Fanon Rucker tells WVXU that process has been slowed by legal maneuverings in Rodney Hinton's case that affect the release of information pertinent to the planned wrongful death lawsuit.
WVXU's Nick Swartsell contributed to this report.
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