The man accused of mowing down an Ohio deputy right after seeing footage of his son being shot to death by a Cincinnati police officer is trying to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.
Rodney Hinton Jr. is facing the death penalty for the killing of Hamilton County Special Deputy Larry Henderson.
Authorities say the 39-year-old ran Henderson down in a car as the deputy was directing traffic outside a college graduation in May.
According to Hinton’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, Hinton was grief-stricken by the death of his teenage son, Ryan Hinton, and was inconsolable after watching body camera video of the 18-year-old being fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer. The deadly collision that killed Henderson happened the same day Hinton watched the footage.
Bennett argued that his client’s grief, combined with serious mental illnesses he suffers from, impaired his rational judgment and should disqualify him from a death sentence.
“The issue with respect to the Hamilton County case is whether Mr. Hinton had a mental condition or defect that precluded him from understanding the wrongfulness of his conduct at the time of the offense,” Bennett said in a statement to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “To date, all psychological and psychiatric evaluations and evidence indicate that he was experiencing several major mental conditions that precluded him from understanding the wrongfulness of his conduct at the time.”
In a Dec. 10 hearing, a court-appointed forensic psychologist, Dr. Jenny O’Donnell, testified that Hinton suffers from bipolar disorder, which likely affected his decision-making.
“I believe Mr. Hinton experiences bipolar disorder and that he was experiencing symptoms consistent with that during the period of this offense,” O’Donnell said, per WLWT. “In my opinion, his illness impacted his judgment.”
The judge presiding over the case still has not ruled on whether to accept Hinton’s new plea. She will hear from two more psychologists before deciding whether the death penalty can be considered in the case.
Ohio law dictates that if an individual suffers from a “serious mental illness” that significantly impacts their judgment in relation to their conduct, that person cannot be sentenced to death. Bipolar disorder is cited by law as one of the conditions considered to be a “serious mental illness.”
Hinton’s trial starts in April 2026.
He’s been charged with two counts of aggravated murder, one count of murder and two counts of felonious assault. He has been treated for depression and anxiety during his time in jail, according to Bennett.
He was recently charged again with assault after allegedly hitting a jail officer.
