An Ohio man has been convicted of murdering a sheriff’s deputy just hours after he was shown footage of his son being shot and killed by police.

In May 2025, Rodney Hinton Jr. drove through an intersection and hit special deputy Larry Henderson Jr. with his car as the officer was directing traffic for a graduation ceremony at the University of Cincinnati.

Shortly before the incident, Hinton had seen bodycam footage taken a day earlier of his son, Ryan Hinton, being shot by a Cincinnati Police officer as he ran away, with the officer reporting the teen had pointed a gun at him, CNN reports.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office later determined that the shooting was justified, and prosecutor Connie Pillich said the officer responsible was ‘legally justified in his use of force,’ as the teen reportedly had a loaded gun and pointed it at officers when they confronted him.

As well as murder, Hinton Jr. was also found guilty of reckless homicide and felonious assault for the crash that killed Henderson, 57.

During Hinton’s trial, WLWT reported that it was argued he had targeted Henderson because he worked in law enforcement.

However, Henderson had actually retired from the police department a few months before the incident, but still took on off-duty assignments.

Prosecutors say Hinton purposely hit Henderson with his car. The officer was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center but was sadly pronounced dead.

Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Rosales said during Hinton’s trial that there was no ‘attempt by the defendant to stop or slow down to avoid hitting Deputy Henderson’, WLWT reports.

However, Hinton defence attorney, Clyde Bennett II, argued his client should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Bennett II told the court that the defendant had attempted suicide earlier that day. He said Hinton was not in his right state of mind when he committed the crime, and therefore did not understand what he was doing.

The attorney said: ‘The evidence will show that a psychotic, mentally ill mind that has already experienced extreme emotional distress was confronted with his son being shot and killed.’

While the prosecution did not dispute that Hinton was grieving, they said he still made the choice to aim his car at Henderson, and that he ultimately knew the difference between right and wrong.

Hinton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16. He faces 15 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole on the murder conviction. 

After Hinton was convicted, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said that she hoped the verdict would offer some comfort to Henderson’s family and friends.

She said in a statement to People: ‘No verdict can undo the loss experienced by his family, friends, and fellow deputies, but we hope this decision brings them some measure of comfort.

‘As this case moves to its next stage, our office will continue to seek an outcome that reflects the gravity of the crime and the law. Deputy Henderson’s life and service will not be forgotten.’

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