An Ohio father accused of hitting and killing a police officer with his car hours after watching body camera footage of Cincinnati police shooting his son was found guilty Friday of charges including murder.
Jurors began deliberations Wednesday morning after days of testimony in the murder trial of Rodney L. Hinton, NBC affiliate WLWT in Cincinnati reports.
Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16.
Just hours before the May 2025 crash that killed Hamilton County Special Deputy Larry Henderson, Hinton was called to the police station to watch body camera video of his 18-year-old son being shot and killed by Cincinnati police officers.
Police received a report of a stolen vehicle at the apartment complex. Authorities said Hinton’s son, Ryan Hinton, was among a group of people in the allegedly stolen car, some of whom fled when officers approached.
Two officers were chasing Ryan Hinton, who police said was armed, and another man.
In video released by police, an officer exits his vehicle and points his gun at Ryan Hinton, who appears to be running away. Police said at a press conference last year that the officer fired at least four shots. In another video, an officer yells, “He’s got a gun!” Authorities said the gun was recovered from the scene.
Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II said in closing arguments that Hinton had struggled with mental health in the past and that his family was concerned about him after he watched the video. Bennett asked the jury to find Hinton not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors said Henderson saw the car approaching at the last second and moved out of the way, but Hinton “followed him.”
“He turned the wheel in the same direction that Larry was moving, and the car hit Larry, throwing him into the air and twisting him until he hit the ground,” Assistant Prosecutor Kate Burroughs said in closing arguments.
Burroughs said Hinton’s vehicle accelerated from 0 to over 43 mph in a matter of seconds with the accelerator depressed 93.3 percent.
“Everything that happened that day was in the hands of the driver,” she said.
During the trial, defense expert witnesses testified that Hinton did not know right from wrong at the time of the crash, WLWT reported. The state’s rebuttal witness testified that Hinton was sad and angry but knew his actions were wrong.
Henderson’s wife also testified, becoming emotional as she discussed their last moments together before Henderson left for work, the news station reported.
“He looked at me and said, ‘I love you,’ and I remember adding, ‘I love you too,'” Lori Henderson said, crying.
Henderson retired from the Sheriff’s Office about five months before the crash and worked as a special deputy directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati while graduating.