Hamilton County prosecutors have abandoned plans to seek the death penalty against Rodney Hinton Jr., the Cincinnati man accused of deliberately running down and killing retired Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Henderson last spring.
Hinton, 38, was charged with aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault in the May 2, 2025, traffic crash near the University of Cincinnati, where Henderson was directing traffic for a graduation ceremony. A day earlier, Hinton’s 18-year-old son, Ryan Hinton, was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer during a foot pursuit related to a reported stolen car. Body camera footage of the shooting was shown to Hinton and his family at the police department hours before the crash that killed Henderson. Prosecutors argue the body camera footage left Hinton distraught, driving him to intentionally target and run down the uniformed deputy.
But at hearings late last year and into January, defense experts testified that Hinton was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the crash, including bipolar disorder and psychosis, impairing his ability to make rational decisions. A court-appointed forensic psychologist and subsequent experts submitted reports indicating that Hinton’s mental state met Ohio’s statutory definition of “serious mental illness,” which bars capital punishment.
In court Monday, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich conceded that, given the expert testimony and applicable law, her office can no longer seek the death penalty. Pillich’s office said they will still pursue the “harshest sentence available.”
“Mr. Hinton deliberately killed an innocent man,” Pillich said in a statement. “Although the law prevents seeking the death penalty, my office will pursue the harshest sentence available, life without the possibility of parole, to make certain he never returns to our community.”
Defense attorney Clyde Bennett has pressed the court for a new arraignment so his client can change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity; that motion remains pending ahead of further proceedings.
Judge Jody Luebbers will next hear the case on Jan. 14. Hinton remains jailed without bond.