An Ohio father accused of mowing down a deputy with his car hours after watching body camera video of a Cincinnati police officer fatally shooting his son was convicted Friday of charges including murder.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday morning after days of testimony in the murder trial of Rodney L. Hinton, Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16.
Just hours before the May 2025 crash that killed Hamilton County Special Deputy Larry Henderson, Hinton had been called to the police station to watch body camera video of his 18-year-old son being shot by a Cincinnati officer.
Police had responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at an apartment complex. Authorities said Hinton’s son, Ryan Hinton, was among a group of people in the allegedly stolen car, and some of them ran when officers approached.
Two officers chased Ryan Hinton, who police said was armed, along with another person.
In a video released by police, an officer gets out of his vehicle and points his gun at Ryan Hinton, who appears to run away. The officer fired at least four shots, police said at a news conference last year. In another video, an officer shouts, “He has a gun!” » Authorities said the weapon was recovered at the scene.
In closing arguments, defense attorney Clyde Bennett II said Hinton had mental health issues in the past and his family was worried about him after watching the video. Bennett asked the jury to find Hinton not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors said Henderson saw the car coming at the last second and moved out of the way, but Hinton “followed” him.
“He turned his steering wheel in the same direction as Larry, and the car hit Larry, throwing him, throwing him in the air, twisting until he landed,” Assistant District Attorney Kate Burroughs said in closing arguments.
Burroughs said Hinton’s vehicle went from 0 to more than 43 mph in a matter of seconds and had the accelerator depressed at 93.3 percent.
“Everything that happened that day was in the hands of the driver,” she said.
During the trial, the defense’s expert witness testified that Hinton didn’t know right from wrong at the time of the accident, according to WLWT. The prosecution’s witness said Hinton was grieving and angry, but knew his actions were wrong.
Henderson’s wife also spoke and became emotional while discussing their final moments together before he left for work, the news station reported.
“He looked at me and he said, ‘I love you,’ and I remember saying, ‘I love you too,'” Lori Henderson said through tears.
Henderson had retired from the sheriff’s office about five months before the crash and was working as a special traffic deputy near the University of Cincinnati while earning his degree.
Gn usa
