Witness testimony is over, and prosecutors and defense attorneys have delivered their final statements. Now, jurors must decide whether Rodney Hinton, Jr. is guilty — and of what charge — in the death of Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Larry Henderson.
The 10-day trial revolved around Hinton's mental state on May 2, 2025, when both prosecution and defense agree he drove his car into Henderson while the deputy worked a traffic detail near the University of Cincinnati.
Hinton's defense attorney Clyde Bennett II pursued a not guilty by reason of insanity defense and presented jurors with evidence of Hinton's long struggle with schizoaffective disorder and other mental illnesses. Bennett said Hinton was pushed into a psychotic episode, likely due to the stress of witnessing body camera footage of Cincinnati Police shooting and killing his son Ryan Hinton just before he drove his car into Henderson.
Bennett introduced a new wrinkle in that line of argument in his closing statement Tuesday. He said Hinton was also suicidal and might have been trying to kill himself — not Henderson — when he drove into a pole.
"It's clear, by the preponderance of the evidence, that he didn't understand the wrongfulness of his conduct because of acute psychotic symptoms," Bennett said in his closing argument Tuesday.
Hamilton County prosecutors acknowledged Hinton's mental illness and the anguish he experienced watching his son get shot. But they argued Hinton did understand what he was doing and knew it was wrong — a key legal factor in a not guilty by reason of insanity defense. Prosecutors also noted Bennett didn't introduce the idea Hinton might have been trying to kill himself until late in the trial.
"The evidence and the testimony at trial leave no question," Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burroughs said in her closing statement Tuesday. "It was the defendant's purpose and specific intent to kill deputy Larry Henderson."
Much of the testimony at trial revolved around this question, with the prosecution calling two mental health experts. Both testified Hinton didn't show signs of an acute psychotic break immediately after he hit Henderson.
"There are things that indicate he did understand the wrongfulness of his conduct," forensic psychologist Jennifer O'Donnell testified for the prosecution, citing Hinton's demeanor right after the incident and the fact he obeyed traffic laws while driving from a CPD facility in Queensgate, where he'd viewed the body camera footage, to Uptown.
But Bennett pointed out Hinton didn't try to flee and didn't deny that he hit Henderson — facts suggesting he might not have grasped the gravity of what he did.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Jody Luebbers agreed to rule out the death penalty in the case after multiple experts testified to Hinton's mental illness during pretrial hearings.
During the trial, Luebbers also ruled the jury could consider the lesser charge of negligent homicide, which carries a maximum three-year sentence. Bennett seemed to try to encourage the jury to consider that possibility in his closing statements, but also urged them to find Hinton not guilty outright.
"He recklessly killed Deputy Henderson while attempting to kill himself," Bennett argued. "That is what the evidence shows."
If found guilty on the murder charges, Hinton could face life in prison. The negligent homicide charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. Even if found not guilty by reason of insanity, Hinton wouldn't walk free; he'd be sent to court-ordered psychiatric treatment.
Read more: